When is an old car too old?

[seafeye]

We never see ‘50’s cars on the road. Limited 60’s. And I live in Nascar country.
How long do you think before the 60’s 70’s 911’s are just too old to be driven regularly and before they have little charm left?

[masraum]

Originally Posted by seafeye

We never see ‘50’s cars on the road. Limited 60’s. And I live in Nascar country.
How long do you think before the 60’s 70’s 911’s are just too old to be driven regularly and before they have little charm left?

Never.

I don't think it's that they are too old. I think it's a combination of other things.

1 There are fewer and fewer around, so you'll see fewer because they just no longer exist.
2 The remaining really old vehicles that are still around have probably been well cared for and/or restored and have started to appreciate so the risk for driving more frequently is increased.
3 And then for some of those, they just aren't as well suited to frequent driving duties. I'm sure for some vehicles, the performance and driving dynamics just aren't suited towards the traffic and roads these days.

But I don't think there's any issue with the performance of older 911s.

356s might be harder to daily drive.

I do still see lots of that sort of thing, but they are usually clearly weekend or very occasional use vehicles.

[pwd72s]

With the early pre 1974 911 now firmly in the collector car world, I'd say few are used as daily drivers. However, they are quite capable of keeping up with the demands of today's traffic.

Charm is in the feelings of the beholder...

[onewhippedpuppy]

I think a combination of value and usability is what takes older cars off of the road. A classic 911 is still very usable but they are worth too much money for the average guy to DD one.

[seafeye]

It seems there is zero chance a millennial will buy a 40’ 50’s and maybe a 60’s car.
At what point will the 70’s be too old? There are plenty of those American cars for sale locally. The prices are falling because of low demand. Could this trend reach the 911’s?

[asphaltgambler]

^^^^^^zactly- each group of young people have their own experiences with cars they grew up with ^^^^^^ 80's cars ard the next hot market

[harvardma]

My neighbors 17 year old son is driving a Nash Metropolitan daily

[Scott Douglas]

Look at how popular Radwood is becoming to see where the next generation is going.

Gotta remember, at least here in CA, the hot rodding has been severely hindered by the smog laws IMO. It's not like it was back in the '60's when you could do just about anything you wanted to an engine with no repercussions when it came time to license the car.

[Jim Richards]

Originally Posted by seafeye

We never see ‘50’s cars on the road. Limited 60’s. And I live in Nascar country.
How long do you think before the 60’s 70’s 911’s are just too old to be driven regularly and before they have little charm left?

A fellow around the corner from me drives his tri-5 Chevy Nomad all the time. Old vdub busses are everywhere. I also see an old Corvair Lakewood wagon and an early 60s Continental convertible that are daily driven. But this is SoCal.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by asphaltgambler

^^^^^^zactly- each group of young people have their own experiences with cars they grew up with ^^^^^^ 80's cars ard the next hot market

Yup. I watched Barrett Jackson a few days ago, most of the ‘60s muscle was either a no sale or no reserve auction.

[Scott Douglas]

I'd love to have an 'old' car, but, at my age I get to thinking about it and come to the conclusion I don't want to drive an old car with old technology that requires old time maintenance.

[pwd72s]

Originally Posted by Scott Douglas

I'd love to have an 'old' car, but, at my age I get to thinking about it and come to the conclusion I don't want to drive an old car with old technology that requires old time maintenance.

You are gaining mature wisdom, grasshopper.

[Tervuren]

Originally Posted by seafeye

It seems there is zero chance a millennial will buy a 40’ 50’s and maybe a 60’s car.
At what point will the 70’s be too old? There are plenty of those American cars for sale locally. The prices are falling because of low demand. Could this trend reach the 911’s?

Gotta disagree.

Vintage Mini's, I could find young people driving those in the Charlotte area.
Same goes for inexpensive MG's and Triumphs.
It is just the ones in collector pricing that outprice a young person that will be of less interest to own.

A major problem with this era when it comes to many American cars is the cars were designed to last until the next model came out. The attrition rate has been pretty high.
Combine this with attrition rate with more people in the country today, and the number of 1950's cars to the number of people today is not the same ratio as the 1950's.

I find that a lot of millennials are into cars from driving games. They'll hunt around for the cars that interest them in the game that they can also afford to own a real one.
For me, it was the Porsche 944. I liked it in game at age 13, I saved my money, and then when I was 18 bought one.

I will say this, each time I go shopping for older cars, the rust on body and frame turn me off.
I'm fine with drivetrain and suspension work on a potential project car, but I have no inclination for rust repair.

[Jim Richards]

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

[Kraftwerk]

When you have to carve the brake pads out of wood.. its pretty old..

"Charm Factor' is not quantifiable.. it's subjective.
I always smile when I se something old 50's or 60's still chugging along.
Cuba was great for that. but you still see it here from time to time....

[SCadaddle]

I've pretty much lost the desire to get my 66 VW split window microbus back on the road. The thought of nothing between my lower extremities and the typical SUV other than a piece of 2 mm thick steel and a headlight bucket is no longer appealing "just to be different".

From a safety standpoint, we've gone from just lap belts to actual seat belts with a shoulder harness to airbags to automatic braking in passenger vehicles. Yet for some reason, the flat bed tow trucks are free to roam with what amounts to a horizontal razor blade extending far beyond the rear axle with minimal bumper/safety equipment below that in the rear. I try to stay away from those vehicles with the fear of either running up in to one or getting rear ended into one.

[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.

[RANDY P]

Originally Posted by seafeye

We never see ‘50’s cars on the road. Limited 60’s. And I live in Nascar country.
How long do you think before the 60’s 70’s 911’s are just too old to be driven regularly and before they have little charm left?

When the perfect storm of random failures hits you, leaving it broken and makes it unappealing compared to a new alternative or you just get tired of fixing it, or- it becomes too valuable to lose to theft or an accident.

I got a 50 year old, and a 30 year old in my fleet now. My only 'real' disposable car is my 2013

[ficke]

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.

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

[Arizona_928]

Originally Posted by Jim Richards

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

Very true. my recent 50's truck "inheritance " was reasonable. Trying to buy it on the open market would have been stupid.