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Vehicles / bikes 🏍 Car Talk

michaelskis said:
Most of my life, I have purchased GM products. However I would be open to most other brands.
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What about a 1992-95 Lesabre with the vénérable 3800 V6?
9WMMPfCcac7Lmm0Znpd9iuwhkpCKWONoe-ovFGGfX3k.jpg


A car I used to respect, but thought were best kept in the Greatest Generation they were marketed to in the 90s.

Fifteen years later the greatest Generation is all gone (execpt President Carter who is the GOAT of living Presidents) and these Buicks are ending up in Zoomer hands because they get inherited or sold by surviving relatives on Marketplace. 2500$ can still get you a good one. Now that I am older, I think these cars are the sex. I used to eschew this Generation because no manual transmission. Now that I am older, the easy automatic sounds nice in city traffic, although the GM stock gearboxes are meh, many still survive because they were never driven hard by origianl owners.

2025 goals is get one of these and another Volvo 240 after going full time.
 
The Terminator said:
What about a 1992-95 Lesabre with the vénérable 3800 V6?
View attachment 63533

A car I used to respect, but thought were best kept in the Greatest Generation they were marketed to in the 90s.

Fifteen years later the greatest Generation is all gone (execpt President Carter who is the GOAT of living Presidents) and these Buicks are ending up in Zoomer hands because they get inherited or sold by surviving relatives on Marketplace. 2500$ can still get you a good one. Now that I am older, I think these cars are the sex. I used to eschew this Generation because no manual transmission. Now that I am older, the easy automatic sounds nice in city traffic, although the GM stock gearboxes are meh, many still survive because they were never driven hard by origianl owners.

2025 goals is get one of these and another Volvo 240 after going full time.
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Are you trying to lure out @mendelman? This seems like catnip specifically geared toward him. FWIW, I still see quite a few of that era of GM products on the roads, relative to other cars of that age.
 
WSU MUP Student said:
Are you trying to lure out @mendelman? This seems like catnip specifically geared toward him. FWIW, I still see quite a few of that era of GM products on the roads, relative to other cars of that age.
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Those are cool and I'd like to own a low-ish mileage one if I could, but I'd rather find a nice last gen Caprice/Roadmaster/Vista Cruiser wagon, though.

In other news, we (my family of 5 full size people) will use the Lincoln for our quick trip this weekend to SE MI to see family in the north Detroit suburbs.

It'll be interesting for the three that have to share the rear seat for a collective 6 hours of driving...as I will be driving the entire time since my wife and son are not comfortable driving the Lincoln.

It's too big.
 
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I laugh but I drive a Fiat 500 so what do I know?

(I'm fine with driving a bigger vehicle, I just don't need a bigger vehicle.)
 
Doohickie said:
Who was it that got the VW Rabbit Cabriolet? How's that going?
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We didn't drive it much this summer, we were super busy. That being said, we got it out a few times and it's running pretty well. It still has a small coolant leak, but adding a little coolant once in a while is easier and cheaper than replacing the radiator in a 40+ year old german car.

I'd like to do something with the stereo in it, but there again, just keeping a bluetooth speaker in the car paired to a phone is easy and works just fine and doesn't involve getting into the electrical system or dash and doors to replace stereo and speakers.
 
mendelman said:
Those are cool and I'd like to own a low-ish mileage one if I could, but I'd rather find a nice last gen Caprice/Roadmaster/Vista Cruiser wagon, though.

In other news, we're (my family of 5 full size people) are will use the Lincoln for our quick trip this weekend to SE MI to see family in the north Detroit suburbs.

It'll be interesting for the three that have to share the rear seat for a collective 6 hours of driving...as I will be driving the entire time since my wife and son are not comfortable driving the Lincoln.

It's too big.
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^ I still see Roadmaster Wagons in regular car use as hoopdi's in New York City. There is one that lives in the Bronx that is owned by an original owner that knows my aunt and it has 320k.

The 90s GM Small Blocks were definitely an improvement over the post-emissions soft cam 305/307s. LT1s are fire.

Maister said:
I drove one from the late 90's up through ~ 2008. I bet Mskis remembers it.
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You made a wise choice to get a GM W Body over a Mopar Cloud Car.
 
The Terminator said:
What about a 1992-95 Lesabre with the vénérable 3800 V6?
View attachment 63533

A car I used to respect, but thought were best kept in the Greatest Generation they were marketed to in the 90s.

Fifteen years later the greatest Generation is all gone (execpt President Carter who is the GOAT of living Presidents) and these Buicks are ending up in Zoomer hands because they get inherited or sold by surviving relatives on Marketplace. 2500$ can still get you a good one. Now that I am older, I think these cars are the sex. I used to eschew this Generation because no manual transmission. Now that I am older, the easy automatic sounds nice in city traffic, although the GM stock gearboxes are meh, many still survive because they were never driven hard by origianl owners.

2025 goals is get one of these and another Volvo 240 after going full time.
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Might have stated this earlier in this thread but not going to take the time to review all the posts. When I switched jobs a few years ago, new planner hired a few weeks before me was driving his grandparents' Buick. Not something I'm used to seeing - Gen Z driving a Buick. I told him he did not have enough street cred to be driving a Buick.
 
SlaveToTheGrind said:
Might have stated this earlier in this thread but not going to take the time to review all the posts. When I switched jobs a few years ago, new planner hired a few weeks before me was driving his grandparents' Buick. Not something I'm used to seeing - Gen Z driving a Buick. I told him he did not have enough street cred to be driving a Buick.
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I heard someone mention a Buick Envista yesterday. Never heard of it, but it looks like a pretty nice ride. It replaced the Encore in 2024, is a little bigger than that and about $3k lower sticker price. If I had to replace the Fiat right now, I'd have to take a look at one. I'd never seriously considered a Buick before.
2024-buick-envista-17-64383073d7ef2.jpg
 
Doohickie said:
I heard someone mention a Buick Envista yesterday. Never heard of it, but it looks like a pretty nice ride. It replaced the Encore in 2024, is a little bigger than that and about $3k lower sticker price. If I had to replace the Fiat right now, I'd have to take a look at one. I'd never seriously considered a Buick before.
2024-buick-envista-17-64383073d7ef2.jpg
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That Buick looks good. Should have clarified that it was a 30 year old Le Sabre the coworker was driving.
 
MD Planner said:
I like them too. And they're making them right here in the Palmetto State. I added a separate circuit and 240V outlet in the garage during construction so I (or the next owner) could easily add a car charger. I'm thinking I might be in the market when the new Scouts are available in a few years.
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After a good deal of thought I put down a deposit on a Scout. Delivery isn't likely until 2027 and it was only 100 bucks until order confirmation which will be quite a ways away. I read a lot about it and a huge majority of those putting down deposits are opting for the extended range version that has a gas engine. Which aligns with what I've been saying for years, there has to be a transition and not an all or nothing switch from ICE to EV.
 
Doohickie said:
I heard someone mention a Buick Envista yesterday. Never heard of it, but it looks like a pretty nice ride. It replaced the Encore in 2024, is a little bigger than that and about $3k lower sticker price. If I had to replace the Fiat right now, I'd have to take a look at one. I'd never seriously considered a Buick before.
2024-buick-envista-17-64383073d7ef2.jpg
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My wife is in the market for a new car to replace a 14-year-old Traverse with 120,000 miles and the Envista looks really nice and is about the size we're interested in (we wish Buick still made the short-lived Regal station wagon). The price is good and after looking into it a bit more, it has pretty good reviews in terms of features and build quality and comfort. The one big downside is that it is a relatively weak turbo 3-cylinder engine with less than 140 hp and it's sort of heavy for its size so acceleration is not the greatest and it doesn't get as good of mileage as you would imagine for a modern vehicle of that size. We don't need a vehicle with a lot of top end speed or massive engine, but it does sound a bit anemic.

I think we're still going to test one out. It could also be a good vehicle for a new driver (safe and not very fast) and we'll have one of those in the house in a few years.
 
WSU MUP Student said:
My wife is in the market for a new car to replace a 14-year-old Traverse with 120,000 miles and the Envista looks really nice and is about the size we're interested in (we wish Buick still made the short-lived Regal station wagon). The price is good and after looking into it a bit more, it has pretty good reviews in terms of features and build quality and comfort. The one big downside is that it is a relatively weak turbo 3-cylinder engine with less than 140 hp and it's sort of heavy for its size so acceleration is not the greatest and it doesn't get as good of mileage as you would imagine for a modern vehicle of that size. We don't need a vehicle with a lot of top end speed or massive engine, but it does sound a bit anemic.

I think we're still going to test one out. It could also be a good vehicle for a new driver (safe and not very fast) and we'll have one of those in the house in a few years.
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Well, my wife's car was in the shop for a few minor things the other day so she test drove the Envista and brought one home for an afternoon.

Apparently it's a nope from her.

The interior was really nice and very comfortable but she says it's just too small for what she wants... this after spending the last 2 years saying she wanted something considerably smaller than her Traverse for her next vehicle. I guess she only wanted something smaller until she actually drove something smaller? ¯\(ツ)/¯ I think if she had driven it for a few days she probably would have gotten used to the size pretty quickly, but I'm not about to fight her over this. She can pick out whatever.

She did mention that it felt a little slower than her Traverse but that's sort of hard to gauge over the ~40 miles she put on it.
 
One thing I've definitely seen with EVs is less storage compared to similarly-sized hybrids/gas. The Envista is also closer to a 5-door hatchback "high wagon," but loses a ton of space with the rake of the rear. I'd have her look at a Toyota Rav4, Kia Sorento, Hyundai Tucson and Nissan Rogue. I think at least 3 of the 4 are available as hybrids, plug-in hybrids.
 
Suburb Repairman said:
One thing I've definitely seen with EVs is less storage compared to similarly-sized hybrids/gas. The Envista is also closer to a 5-door hatchback "high wagon," but loses a ton of space with the rake of the rear. I'd have her look at a Toyota Rav4, Kia Sorento, Hyundai Tucson and Nissan Rogue. I think at least 3 of the 4 are available as hybrids, plug-in hybrids.
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If it's my personal vehicle, I don't need much space. I usually drive with zero or one passenger, or with a dog or two.
The hatchback is nice for Lowes runs, but even then a small hatch usually does the trick
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Suburb Repairman said:
One thing I've definitely seen with EVs is less storage compared to similarly-sized hybrids/gas. The Envista is also closer to a 5-door hatchback "high wagon," but loses a ton of space with the rake of the rear. I'd have her look at a Toyota Rav4, Kia Sorento, Hyundai Tucson and Nissan Rogue. I think at least 3 of the 4 are available as hybrids, plug-in hybrids.
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There is a 0% chance that my wife will ever buy a foreign vehicle.

FWIW though, a good friend has a Toyota Rav4 Prime and based on the few times I've been in it, I love it. It's very comfortable and has pretty good storage for its size. He also has a PHEV Highlander and he and his wife usually argue over who gets to drive the Rav4 since they both like that one quite a bit more. Even with two young kids and all their luggage, they more often than not drive the Rav4 on road trips because he says it's that much more comfortable. He doesn't have anything against the Highlander, but they just prefer the Rav4.
 
WSU MUP Student said:
Well, my wife's car was in the shop for a few minor things the other day so she test drove the Envista and brought one home for an afternoon.

She did mention that it felt a little slower than her Traverse but that's sort of hard to gauge over the ~40 miles she put on it.
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The Buick Envista is a subcompact SUV with a 130ish hp 3 cylinder engine. I should feel slower because it most certainly is. I know that Ford has terrible issues with their wet oil pump belt system design in their cheap cars, but I would personally would avoid all three of the US companies in these segments. They assign their benchwarmer engineers to work on these products.

I do not know why your wife is anti-foreign cars, but there is a reason why cars like the Rav4 sell so well. Despite being boring, they work as intended, and are more likely to last than anything from a US, German or Korean car company. As a note, the Toyota equivalent to the Envista and it's Chevy Trax twin is the smaller Corolla Cross rather than the Rav4.
 
WSU MUP Student said:
There is a 0% chance that my wife will ever buy a foreign vehicle.

FWIW though, a good friend has a Toyota Rav4 Prime and based on the few times I've been in it, I love it. It's very comfortable and has pretty good storage for its size. He also has a PHEV Highlander and he and his wife usually argue over who gets to drive the Rav4 since they both like that one quite a bit more. Even with two young kids and all their luggage, they more often than not drive the Rav4 on road trips because he says it's that much more comfortable. He doesn't have anything against the Highlander, but they just prefer the Rav4.
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I don't understand anti-foreign... they are just flat building superior vehicles in this segment, at least the Japanese and Korean brands. Ford and GM seem to be having some significant QC issues and just "not delivering the goods" in the midsize SUV segment. Also, in many cases foreign brands have a greater percentage of manufacturing/assembly in the U.S./Canada. A lot of the "American" brands are really being done in Mexico. Not sure on the EVs, but it was pretty true of gas engine.
 
Suburb Repairman said:
One thing I've definitely seen with EVs is less storage compared to similarly-sized hybrids/gas. The Envista is also closer to a 5-door hatchback "high wagon," but loses a ton of space with the rake of the rear. I'd have her look at a Toyota Rav4, Kia Sorento, Hyundai Tucson and Nissan Rogue. I think at least 3 of the 4 are available as hybrids, plug-in hybrids.
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I dunno man. I can stuff my teenage son in the frunk of my F**K elon mobile. I realized i have a lot of trunk space when you tip the seats down, and with my "subtrunk". which is below the actual trunk. Been wanting to put one of these in the back for those "damn council make a decision" kind of nights.
 
Suburb Repairman said:
I don't understand anti-foreign... they are just flat building superior vehicles in this segment, at least the Japanese and Korean brands. Ford and GM seem to be having some significant QC issues and just "not delivering the goods" in the midsize SUV segment. Also, in many cases foreign brands have a greater percentage of manufacturing/assembly in the U.S./Canada. A lot of the "American" brands are really being done in Mexico. Not sure on the EVs, but it was pretty true of gas engine.
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Agreed 100% on all counts but old habits die hard, especially here in Metro Detroit where there are large numbers of people on both sides of our families employed by, or receiving a pension from, Ford, Chrysler, and GM.

FWIW, I know that for a few years the Toyota Avalon was the "Most American" vehicle on the market in terms of % of parts manufactured here in the states. Looking it up right now, it appears that the Tesla Models Y, 3, X, and S all top the list followed by the Honda Passport, VW ID4, Honda Odyssey, Acura MDX, Honda Ridgeline, and Acura RDX. After those top 10, the first vehicle from one of the traditional "Big 3" is the Lincoln Corsair at #16.
 
WSU MUP Student said:
Agreed 100% on all counts but old habits die hard, especially here in Metro Detroit where there are large numbers of people on both sides of our families employed by, or receiving a pension from, Ford, Chrysler, and GM.

FWIW, I know that for a few years the Toyota Avalon was the "Most American" vehicle on the market in terms of % of parts manufactured here in the states. Looking it up right now, it appears that the Tesla Models Y, 3, X, and S all top the list followed by the Honda Passport, VW ID4, Honda Odyssey, Acura MDX, Honda Ridgeline, and Acura RDX. After those top 10, the first vehicle from one of the traditional "Big 3" is the Lincoln Corsair at #16.
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Buy what you like & then debadge it.
 
The "Buy American" has been BS since the '80s. As mentioned in other posts, plenty of "foreign" products are made in American by Americans. The companies built the factories here and employ Americans.
 
I remember a coworker bragging about his certified made in America Harley. Every piece is manufactured and assembled in the US. I'm sure that cost him extra.
 
Whose Yur Planner said:
The "Buy American" has been BS since the '80s. As mentioned in other posts, plenty of "foreign" products are made in American by Americans. The companies built the factories here and employ Americans.
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Exactly. Most are made in the USA by American workers. The (foreign) parent company makes money but this does not change the fact that local workers are employed and earning a wage, which is more important to me than who sits at the top. Part of me thinks the parent company overseas is better to make the money than the big execs if an American company. But there are plenty of US Nissan, Toyota, etc. execs here that make too much money. At one time I heard that a Japanese exec did not make more than 10x the amount of the entry level worker. Don't know if true, likely not, but the Japanese do set an example of how to live in a society. Lived for a time there and it was a great place.

I drive a 2020 Nissan Altima SV. My only complaint is the washer solvent only shoots up in two streams (not a spray) each 5 inches onto the windshield. Does not cover the entire windshield like my wife's Subaru Outback. Can't adjust the nozzles, either. I had a 1983 Mazda Rx-7 in high school and the nozzles where small metal balls that you could adjust the spray location. One other complaint is the heat, not that there is not enough, but too much. Anything from 90-65 is hot, 64 is warmish, and 63-60 is cold.
 
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My wife picked out a new vehicle and we'll be getting that later this week. She's going from a 2010 Chevy Traverse with many many many miles to a 2025 Equinox. She liked the new Traverses but they are a bit bigger than her current one and she wanted to go smaller, and not larger.

She tested the new Traverse, Equinox, Grand Cherokee, Ford Explorer, and Lincoln Corsair.

She didn't care for the Grand Cherokee or the Explorer (they have longer flatter hoods and are definitely more SUV than the Traverse or Equinox that are more CUV and she didn't like not being able to see over the hood as easily as she's used to in her Traverse). She really liked the interior of the Corsair and all the standard features but thought the exterior was ugly (she's not wrong) and it's still more SUV like. I told her to go next door and check out the Ford Edge, which I think are basically the same vehicle(?) and look a bit nicer IMO. She gave the Edge a cursory look but from just a brief conversation, it sounded like she did like the exterior of the Edge more than the Corsair but it still had the same visibility as the Corsair and was a bit more than she wanted to spend. The Chevy dealer had nearly 150 2024 and 2025 Equinox in inventory and was very willing to make a deal and still allow us to use GM employee pricing. So combining the pricing with the size and the visibility over the front hood - she found a winner.

Insurance is all set up and ready to go and we're just waiting for some $$$ to transfer into her checking account and then we'll pick up the new vehicle later today or tomorrow.

Also, we learned that as a government employee, I am not eligible to use the GM employee pricing so I cannot be anywhere on the transaction. Not a big deal if she's paying cash or if she were financing it on her own but I guess I cannot even be a cosigner if we were financing it and it cannot be jointly registered to both of us. Interestingly, I don't think Chrysler has a similar rule but who knows... maybe the dealer when I was buying my Jeeps just didn't care (though when buying my Jeeps, we're only able to get "Friends and Family" pricing, so not quite "Employee" pricing, so maybe that makes a difference too).
 
I might be going West German again.....

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^ Offered to me for 1400 by the boomer 2nd owner (who has had the car since late 90s). It needs rear floor pans welded up, but I am inclined to take it because I have lift access now and can patch it up myself with sheet metal, 3M adhesive and roofing screws and f'in #sendit until I can afford to have my guy properly fix it. 4 Speed, 1983. 220k miles with the 4 cyl diesel that puts out a measly 72hp and does 0-60 in "eventually", but isn't that terrible with the manual. Manual's are rare in the Northeast and its getting impossible now to find W123s that have just slipped through the cracks like this. Seller claims it's a healthy OM616 with no blowby and working heat (non-AC from the factory, don't need it for a classic). Interior shows its age but looks remarkable for an unrestored 40 y/o car.

I was straight up with the seller that I am a broke grad student in my final semester and wont be able to see the car until the week after Christmas and he told me "I understand if you cant take it on, but I think you'll get the car don't worry, I've had zero local interest and want it to go to someone who knows the cars".

Im trying to save up for another Volvo, but I love Diesel W123s almost as much as I do old Volvo's and I doubt ill find one at such a reasonable price ever again. I could have this thing highway ready with patched floors by Spring, put it on a NYS Historic Tag with Hagerty insurance. Friend of mine had a manual '80 240D, and even though it was slower than molasses, it was super fun with the 4 speed. Im not gonna take it if the rust is more than just floor pans, and there is structural rot.

@WSU MUP Student what do you think?
 
If you had the option of driving a classic car as your daily driver, would you? (Classic as at least 50 years old...)
 
michaelskis said:
If you had the option of driving a classic car as your daily driver, would you? (Classic as at least 50 years old...)
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Probably not, but it would depend on the car.

Our family car growing up was a 1970 Plymouth Fury. I was the only one of the four kids that never got to drive it. (Got my license in 1994, right after Dad sold it to a museum.)

Jim
 
michaelskis said:
If you had the option of driving a classic car as your daily driver, would you? (Classic as at least 50 years old...)
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Yes. I would.

I'm currently about halfway to 50 years old right now with my 2002 Lincoln Town Car.

I'd go for a ~1930 Ford Model A Fordor in perfect running order. My daily driving needs mid-speed surface roads and neighborhood streets, so a cool pre-WW2 car would be 'fun'...I presume. Plus, my understanding is these cars are pretty simple to maintain/diagnose, so it would be a good learning experience as well.

1930-ford-model-a-fordor-sedan


Or a good running order ~1949 Packard Deluxe 8. I really like their look with the long front deck and short rear deck.

1949-packard-deluxe-8-touring-sedan


Or literally this 1953 Buick Special.

1953-buick-special-riviera-2-door-hardtop

@RandomPlanner @Planit @The Terminator
 
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michaelskis said:
If you had the option of driving a classic car as your daily driver, would you? (Classic as at least 50 years old...)
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My first car, which I drove every day in high school and still own, is over 50 years old. I personally would be fine with driving it as a daily driver, but my wife would not like the idea of me taking my son to preschool in it every day. I would also still need a back up car - old cars can be enjoyable to own and drive, but you are always tinkering on something. 30-ish years is a fairly reasonable range - my car was like 33 years old when I started driving it, and my Jeep is 30 years old now and could do DD* duties.

*The Jeep is less favorable for a dedicated DD role because it's a big lifted Jeep with a weak engine, not because it's old. It's fun to drive, but would be tiring day in and day out.
 
michaelskis said:
If you had the option of driving a classic car as your daily driver, would you? (Classic as at least 50 years old...)
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Depends on what I need and where im driving but generally hell yeah. Although I like the idea of the Mercedes 240D in the post I made earlier above because it would specifically NOT be a daily driver, I have a Toyota for that.

That being said, if you live somewhere like Seattle or LA, than you can really drive anything that your gas budget can afford. 1986-1993 Volvo 240s still make supurb daily drivers if maintained. Salt State classics should be garaged in the winter.
 
The Terminator said:
I might be going West German again.....

View attachment 63824

View attachment 63825

^ Offered to me for 1400 by the boomer 2nd owner (who has had the car since late 90s). It needs rear floor pans welded up, but I am inclined to take it because I have lift access now and can patch it up myself with sheet metal, 3M adhesive and roofing screws and f'in #sendit until I can afford to have my guy properly fix it. 4 Speed, 1983. 220k miles with the 4 cyl diesel that puts out a measly 72hp and does 0-60 in "eventually", but isn't that terrible with the manual. Manual's are rare in the Northeast and its getting impossible now to find W123s that have just slipped through the cracks like this. Seller claims it's a healthy OM616 with no blowby and working heat (non-AC from the factory, don't need it for a classic). Interior shows its age but looks remarkable for an unrestored 40 y/o car.

I was straight up with the seller that I am a broke grad student in my final semester and wont be able to see the car until the week after Christmas and he told me "I understand if you cant take it on, but I think you'll get the car don't worry, I've had zero local interest and want it to go to someone who knows the cars".

Im trying to save up for another Volvo, but I love Diesel W123s almost as much as I do old Volvo's and I doubt ill find one at such a reasonable price ever again. I could have this thing highway ready with patched floors by Spring, put it on a NYS Historic Tag with Hagerty insurance. Friend of mine had a manual '80 240D, and even though it was slower than molasses, it was super fun with the 4 speed. Im not gonna take it if the rust is more than just floor pans, and there is structural rot.

@WSU MUP Student what do you think?
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What do I think? I think you should take a beer over to that house with the flag across the street from the Benz! ;)

That Benz is awesome though and as long as there are no major engine issues and the suspension isn't shot to hell, it doesn't sound like a terrible project vehicle at all. The interior is a little rough but the seats look to be in really good shape for the age and there appears to be minimal rust on the body panels. Sure, the floor may be rusting through in certain areas but you know that going in and it's a relatively straightforward fix.

Incidentally, there's a full service gas station near me that always has an old Benz like this one parked outside. It's got historic plates on it and appears to be in really good shape (but not pristine by any stretch). I have a feeling it's owned by the mechanic at the shop. We happened to be driving past it the other day as my wife was asking me what I'd like for Christmas so I pointed to the car. She told me to keep dreaming! :rofl: It's one of those cars I look at every time I go past hoping there will suddenly be a "FOR SALE" sign in the window.
 
I cannot think of many vehicles 50+ years old that I'd want to use as a daily driver but there are some vehicles from the mid-to-late 1980s that I'd DD. Things like Jeep Cherokees or Grand Wagoneers or some of the old Benzs and Volvos that @The Terminator is always posting or maybe a late '80s F150 or Bronco or even a Toyota 4Runner from that era... It seems like there's a big difference in terms of creature comforts and safety features in cars from about 1985 forward compared to those from 1975 backwards and those vehicles from the mid-to-late 1980s are still pretty simple to work on and parts for things like the 4.0 and 5.7 Jeep engines and the 5.0 and 5.8 Ford engines are readily available, relatively speaking.

mendelman said:
Yes. I would.

I'm currently about halfway to 50 years old right now with my 2002 Lincoln Town Car.

I'd go for a ~1930 Ford Model A Fordor in perfect running order. My daily driving needs mid-speed surface roads and neighborhood streets, so a cool pre-WW2 car would be 'fun'...I presume. Plus, my understanding is these cars are pretty simple to maintain/diagnose, so it would be a good learning experience as well.

1930-ford-model-a-fordor-sedan
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My FIL has a '30 Ford just like that one (as well as a '31 and a '27) and while they are very easy to work on there's no way I'd want something like that as a daily driver. The ride is not necessarily smooth, it takes forever to get up to a good cruising speed of about 30 (and the way their geared there is a lot of up and down shifting to keep it in an acceptable range for residential speed limits of 25mph)... They do look cool though and if I were more skilled and had the time and money, they would be a fun vehicle to do some sort of engine and transmission swap with to put something more modern into.
 
WSU MUP Student said:
I cannot think of many vehicles 50+ years old that I'd want to use as a daily driver but there are some vehicles from the mid-to-late 1980s that I'd DD. Things like Jeep Cherokees or Grand Wagoneers or some of the old Benzs and Volvos that @The Terminator is always posting or maybe a late '80s F150 or Bronco or even a Toyota 4Runner from that era... It seems like there's a big difference in terms of creature comforts and safety features in cars from about 1985 forward compared to those from 1975 backwards and those vehicles from the mid-to-late 1980s are still pretty simple to work on and parts for things like the 4.0 and 5.7 Jeep engines and the 5.0 and 5.8 Ford engines are readily available, relatively speaking.



My FIL has a '30 Ford just like that one (as well as a '31 and a '27) and while they are very easy to work on there's no way I'd want something like that as a daily driver. The ride is not necessarily smooth, it takes forever to get up to a good cruising speed of about 30 (and the way their geared there is a lot of up and down shifting to keep it in an acceptable range for residential speed limits of 25mph)... They do look cool though and if I were more skilled and had the time and money, they would be a fun vehicle to do some sort of engine and transmission swap with to put something more modern into.
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My FiL has a '29/'30 (I've heard him say both) Model A which does run but needs a lot of work. I drove it many years ago and my youngest, the gearhead, drove it last summer and would love to take it apart, which really does not amount to much work at this point.
 
michaelskis said:
If I could, I would drive something like this every day:
View attachment 63828
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Somewhat related, but there is a guy around my age with 2-3 kids in town where I live driving an early 70s c10 Suburban restomod that is absolutely badass. I've been hoping to catch him at a meet or the gas station, just to see what he's running on engine and drivetrain because it is definitely modern. I'm pretty sure it is one of the Corvette C5 engines, either the LS1 or LS6. Regardless, it looks and sounds badass.
 
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