When is an old car too old?

[Captain Ahab Jr]

Originally Posted by ficke

Funny I have had a guy on motorcycle till me how unsafe my 1965 MG midget was!
Newest ca I have is 1978, average age of the cars I drive is mid 70's.
But this is AZ, no rust, light traffic and very little freeways.
My 1917 Hupmobile going on a 100 mile drive with firends ,30 of which was up a mountain on dirt

awesome car, green motoring at its best, please keep using it

My daily is a 1995 Toyota 4Runner, not old compared to 50's cars

I think the sweet spot for usable old cars are from the 80's and early 90's, easy on maintenance, not full of unfriendly DIY electrical systems and with enough performance/comfort to keep up with modern traffic

[Tervuren]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

They just aren’t as safe as newer cars. I drive my ‘47 Dodge, my ‘56 Speedster, or my ‘65 VW on errands when weather is favorable, but I am hyper aware of how much more vulnerable I am. I don’t drive into the city or on busy highways.

I feel the same with my 944.

I keep it to the less crazy roads if I take it, and prefer not to take it at night where there is increased chance of head on from drunks.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Captain Ahab Jr

I think the sweet spot for usable old cars are from the 80's and early 90's

Other than very few 80s cars (If I could afford another old 911...!!) I would prefer mid 60s to early 70s. Plenty of performance and at least for American cars, I think handling and braking could be made adequate.

[Jim Richards]

I’m currently renovating a ‘75 Datsun 280Z. A lot of the cosmetic and mechanical systems are taken care of, and it does have new brakes. I still need to finish refreshing the suspension and maybe look at upgrading the brakes. As it is, I feel comfortable on the freeway...just not driving it aggressively. Before long, it should be ready to drive up to Mulholland Hwy and go canyon carving.

[wildthing]

I wouldn’t daily drive anything without air conditioning...

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Originally Posted by Jim Richards

^^^this. Boomers are making vintage car prices unaffordable for younger folks.

What will happen to these car prices when the boomers start to fade away?

[Jim Richards]

Originally Posted by wildthing

I wouldn’t daily drive anything without air conditioning...

My Z has AC. 😁

[Jim Richards]

Originally Posted by Shaun @ Tru6

What will happen to these car prices when the boomers start to fade away?

I think the prices will drop.

[seafeye]

Originally Posted by Shaun @ Tru6

What will happen to these car prices when the boomers start to fade away?

That’s what I’m getting at. The 50’s cars. And 60’s even are rare sights. You see them for sale but are they really selling?
At what point will the market dry up for people wanting a 40’s-70’s era car?

Price for 50’s are already dropping. Sales are tough. Will the early 911’s ever feel this fate?

[Tervuren]

I decided to look around at 1950-1970 with a maximum of $7,000.

This had appeal.

https://charlotte.craigslist.org/cto/d/charlotte-military-m561-gamma-goat/7001442233.html

[Arizona_928]

gamma goat. I haven't seen them since the remagen range in sc.

[VincentVega]

I've wanted to drive a few cars from the 30s for a long time. I expect they are better in my head than on the road. My newest car is a 2003, not many older than that on the road usually.

Too old to me means unreliable or too slow to keep up. Not much patience in my area for slow.

[Embraer]

when I lived in the Mojave a few years ago, I often saw 50's cars out driving around...not because people wanted to drive classics...but these were the cars they had.

After dabbling with 60's British cars, tons of Porsches, Italian stuff (including my Ferrari)....I have developed a soft spot for brass-era cars. The ability to replicate any part on them...because they were originally hand made is very intriguing to me. The performance aspect of cars is largely lost on me at this point...I've reached a point where aesthetics reigns supreme.

As for pricing on classics...it's all cyclical. Look at what Model A's cost now, compared to 20-30 years ago. The guys who loved these cars are all dead.

[Joe Bob]

Parts availability and wrenches to fix them unless you do your own work.

[GH85Carrera]

My brother’s daily driver is his 1955 VW Bug. He has driven it since 1978. It is converted to 12 volts, has disk brakes, and a 90 hp engine. Everything else is stock.

[JackDidley]

Anything with no AC is too old for me. I think a guy has to have a tolerance for the lack of technology in old cars. And be a little tough. For over 10 years my buddy drove a mostly stock 55 Chevy truck everywhere. 18 miles each way for work. Single digit temps in winter and near 100° in the summer. No AC and minimal heat. He still has that truck but he bought a 2003 truck last year and the 55 has barely moved since. Power steering and AC are hard to do without. I consider my 94 S10 primative . Radio delete, crank windows and no cruise control. It does have a V8, PS, AC and semi automatic trans and thats as primitave as I can go.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by Shaun @ Tru6

What will happen to these car prices when the boomers start to fade away?

Just look at collector cars from the 1920s into the 1950s. Except for super rare or historically significant stuff the values are in the tank. Everybody who cares is dead.

[GH85Carrera]

There is a local guy with a 52 Ford pickup, restomod. It looks like a 52 from the outside but it is on a modern chassis with all the modern stuff. It is very well done.

[Seahawk]

There are a lot of '50's, 60's and 70's cars in this area on the road on a nice weekend day.

I could not imagine daily driving one. A friend of mine owns the "Stovebolt" website for old GMC trucks (https://www.stovebolt.com/) and I used to drive with him in parades, etc. The old truck look cool but are not at all enjoyable, at least to me, to drive.

[shadowjack1]

I don't think American cars from the 60's, 70's and 80's were made to last. I think most of these cars are in the "Land fill".