Old School For A Daily Driver?

Hi, I see alot of comments on the 60’s cars and newer. I was wondering about a 40’s or 50’s cars. My husband has had it with newer cars and their electronics (and everything else) and is trying to convince me that we can have our retirement car as something in the 40’s or 50’s cause he can do everything to them in his sleep. I am not sure and I am dreading it. Does anyone have any feedback?
Thanks

I think that anything with a carb is old…. fuel injected shouldnt be considered an old car….then again there are some old cars that are fuel injected

A daily driver as a classic, would no doubt be purchased by someone who didn’t care for it

thats not true, i car about my car, keep it well maintained

adter 20 years, there is an epiphany. If there wasn’t, the car wouldn’t have made it that far…A daily driver as a classic, would no doubt be purchased by someone who didn’t care for it

thats not true, someone of us cant afford a garage, or need a ride to get to work, I bring my 78 lincoln in for all the sceduled maintenance, and it probably runs better then most cars that have been sitting for ages

My uncle has a 72 nova he still drives. Its primer gray with lotsa rust. As for me, I don’t have anything that old, but my festiva turns 20 next year, so I guess its technicly almost a classic. I also have a 92 spirit rt and another regular 93 spirit coming up for status soon. I know these aren’t desirable cars yet, so I’m not really sure I want to call them classic.

I drive a 1982 Chrysler New Yorker-Fifth Avenue w/a 2bbl 318, an A-999 TorqueFlite, and 7 1/2 rear daily; have gotten as good as 32 mpg on the highway no lies. who needs airbags when you’ve got METAL serounding you. these old cars are stronger, better made, more comfortable, and have better materels in and out. ABS trac. control and that sort of thing is for people who can’t drive!

ya i drive my 78 monte on a daily basis to school.
have a 1991 305 Throttle Body Injection that was out of a total camaro. it also came w/ the 700r4 with overdrive and i’m run 2.73 gears on a posi carrier.

i get low 20 if u baby but i have some fun sometimes so i get 19 mpg. but i’m 16 i gotta have fun

I see the occasional “old-school” ride with regular plates at the weekly cruise night, and generally assume that means the car is a daily driver (in Maryland, you can’t get Historic plates for your only car–you have to have at least one car with standard registration). One couple in our Mopar club put regular tags on their recently-purchased ‘63 Belvedere, saying they’d bought it specifically because it was “in good enough shape to pass inspection.”
As recently as last year, I went past the Linthicum library and spotted a well-used ‘68 or ‘69 GTO convertible in the parking lot–someone’s been using that as a daily driver for many years.
Now you’ve got me wanting to look around for pre-1977 cars with regular plates on them…

I have a 66 mustang as my daily driver it has a 4bbl 302 and i get about 14 mpg but i don’t care its so sweet to drive i will never give it up

But cant drive it in the winter

I would be driving a 1965 Ford Galaxie 500 every day

I drive a 1978 camaro z28 as my daily driver. I wouldnt give it up for anything. It has a built 350 sb in it. Id say it gets around 10 mpg. Its so fun to drive, and the looks I get make it all the better. People allways ask me why I drive the car and tell me I’m wasteing gas. I could really care less. Theres nothing like driving a V8, the sound and power they make is amazing. I’ll take one over a dumb 4 banger any day, no matter what kind of mileage or whatever they get. I’m sure when I get older I’ll probebly float on over to the dark side but as a teen right now, this is my dream car.

Nice car,I drove my restored 68 Chrysler 300 2 door hardtop 440 tnt very powerful,in fact it blows the doors off of my 2007 Charger r/t daytona 350 hp,once you get to know how to control the tire spinning on the 68.. as a daily driver,until 2001,due to too many close calls with coffee drinking,cell phone using drugged up people cruising around looking at their gps units,I just didnt want the car to get smashed up,so I save it for cruising and late night burn outs.It handles great,safe as anything on the road,stops on a dime and straight,from 60 mph 130′ foot range,not bad for a 4080 lb car..with 1960’s front disc rear drum setup..As for the Charger I had a 74 Rallye Charger 440 Rare,Rare,stopped from 60 as tested by magazines when new 124 feet from 60!!I drove that and my 68 300 throughout the 1990’s and early 2000’s,sold the 74 2 years ago to buy/build my dream 69 Charger,its getting close to finished and to be a stock looking red/black R/T clone 440.Bottom line these old cars have too much time/money/history/emmotional attachment for most people to drive every day,leave in a parking lot to go shopping/work ect..and have some clown steeling it or damaging it.

My daily driver is my 1967 stang with a Inline 6 and loving it.

I HAVE A 1977 MERCURY GRAND MARQUIS LIMITED EDTITON 2 DOOR WITHA 460 C.I.D ENGINE AND A 4 BBL CARB. I ALSO HAVE A 1979 LINCOLN CONTINENTAL WITH A 400 C.I.D. ENGINE AND A 2 BBL CARB

I drive my 72 Torino every single day. The 2bbl 302 gets about 20 mpg, and I love it. The real enjoyment from a classic car is in DRIVING IT! Otherwise it is a giant paperweight.

1974 BMW 2002 is our daily driver and was our “family car” for the past three years (2 kids). I live in the snowy mountains of British Columbia. Reliable, cheap to fix, fun to drive, roomy and yeah, a little rusty. I’d drive it around the world tomorrow without even checking the oil before I left.

i have a 82 4×4 short box chevy truck as my D/D 350 siteing on 33’s not the best on gas but it’s a go anywhere truck

my 73 valiant is my daily driver… i get 21 mpg with my slant six

I have a 69 LTD, The car isn’t perfect but it’s nice. I drive it every day. I love driving it; I get a lot of looks, and comments on it. People are always asking about it and the little kids just stop and stare because they have never seen one. But driving a classic car every day is a lot of responsibility. You have to watch out for everyone else even more. And yes you can cause accidents from people taking a double take and running in to some one.(Trust me it can happen!) But I say Drive Them Love Them But Take Care of Them!! So they can be enjoyed for years!!!

Well i drive my 1973 camaro on a daily basis. Even in the rain, snow, extreme heat, whatever and whenever. And my 350 only gets me about 10mpg with a light foot. not to mention i’m still in high school and pay for my own gas

Certainly! I guess it could be a daily driver; however, I would not drive it daily. This car should be respected and viewed by thousands but not out in the elements with other non-caring people. I have a 1969 Oldsmobile 442 and I would never consider it to become a daily driver.

In addition, Hagerty Insurance strictly prohibits any classic, muscle, collector, etc. to be a daily driver. Now granted this is with having Historic Tags on the car. I guess in the end it is up to the individual if they want to drive their baby everywhere.

:”) My Final Words! Pull up too a young kid in a tuner, and show them what Old School is all about….

Cars are meant to be driven and to be enjoyed driving in them. I have a 65 tbird for a daily driver and no AC, but hey I fricken love driving it. (even if gas is $4 a gal. and I get 14mpg)

do a burnout

I’m actually in the process of restoring my 74 Charger that I plan to make a driver. But I kinda agree with Craig, I’m not sure if its a 73 but I think its an SE because of the colored sripes in the grill. I may be wrong though.

I drive a 1977 Monte Carlo with a 350 4bbl and a TH350 auto trans. It’s my daily driver from May to November then she’s put away for the harsh Nova Scotian winters. (Salt air, salt water, salted roads, and snow is just no damn good).

I’ve been using my 72 chevelle as a daily driver for the past year now. It’s awesome driving a classic car every day, everytime you stop to get gas people are talkin to you about your car, people honk and wave all the time even when i dont know them. A stereo and front disc breaks are all i need to drive every day and be happy with it. Although gas prices suck right now and a 350 can burn up some gas when you get on it, its all worth it in the end.

I drive a 79 Malibu wagon everyday until the salt comes around (good ol ohio) lol

i dont know if it is persay the best type of classic but up until a month ago i was driving a 1975 Amc pacer. god rest its soul

I (currently) have a 1965 Chevy Corvair that I drive every day. I love that car, that’s why I drive it. It gets like 17 MPG or so but it burns oil and leaks trans fluid.
You can see me at our (Grand Rapids, MI) 28th street Metro Cruise on saturday (8/23). I’ll have pics of it on my ride page by Monday.

my first car was a 1971 Dodge Charger and believe me I would love to have another one that i could use for a daily driver, I got the Hemi truck but it does not match up the old Charger, anybody got one for sale??

my first car was a 1971 Dodge Charger and believe me I would love to have another one that i could use for a daily driver, I got the Hemi truck but it does not match up the old Charger, anybody got one for sale??

Notice the champion sitting on the railing behind the ‘74 and his wifebeater.. I was going to ask if this picture was taken at Astoria park in Queens NY, but the champion in the wifebeater has already answered.

I prefered the ‘71 Charger…..definitely deserves to be in a cop show for sure.

IMHO these cars need updated (modernized) suspension and brakes to even consider driving them daily, without being a hazard to yourself or others on the road.

I agree with Noe, and I also seen a person in Tuscaloosa, Alabama that has I think a 1969 Dodge Charger R/T the same color as the Dukes of Hazzard had except this one had the black leather roof. Its very nice. Me personally if I had an old school I wouldnt drive it everyday but it will driven quite a few times out the month!

I agree with Noe, and I also seen a person in Tuscaloosa, Alabama that has I think a 1969 Dodge Charger R/T the same color as the Dukes of Hazzard had except this one had the black leather roof. Its very nice. Me personally if I had an old school I wouldnt drive it everyday but it will driven quite a few times out the month!

I agree with Noe, and I also seen a person in Tuscaloosa, Alabama that has I think a 1969 Dodge Charger R/T the same color as the Dukes of Hazzard had except this one had the black leather roof. Its very nice. Me personally if I had an old school I wouldnt drive it everyday but it will driven quite a few times out the month!

I agree with Noe, and I also seen a person in Tuscaloosa, Alabama that has I think a 1969 Dodge Charger R/T the same color as the Dukes of Hazzard had except this one had the black leather roof. Its very nice. Me personally if I had an old school I wouldnt drive it everyday but it will driven quite a few times out the month!

I agree with Noe, and I also seen a person in Tuscaloosa, Alabama that has I think a 1969 Dodge Charger R/T the same color as the Dukes of Hazzard had except this one had the black leather roof. Its very nice. Me personally if I had an old school I wouldnt drive it everyday but it will driven quite a few times out the month!

Does a classic POS ‘91 civic count?

Before the rod bearings started wearing to the point of causing a knocking sound from the engine, I drove my 1972 Mercury Monterey 2 door hardtop as much as possible. I’m rebuilding the engine and hope to get it back on the road soon. I drove it all last year and was surprised that I was getting 17mpg out of a 36 year old beast with 106,000+ miles on it. Weighing in at 5442 lbs. and measuring 18 1/2 ft. long I was impressed to say the least. It is powered by a 351C-2V and that’s the way I’m keeping it with a few minor mods. A buddy of mine has a 1972 Lincoln and he only gets 12mpg and my Merc is at least a foot longer which I am sure means extra weight to haul around. I am a total believer in what Dennis Gage says, “Restore ‘em, Don’t crush ‘em”. I also use to have 1972 Plymouth Satellite with manual steering, manual 4 wheel drum brakes and a 3 speed on the tree that I used as a daily driver. It had 136,000 miles on the original clutch before I traded it for a 1979 Caprice that turned out to be the biggest POS I ever regretted buying.

My 1968 Pontiac Firebird 350 is a daily driver. Mileage like an SUV. Even in primer with an unrestored interior, the car has more character and is more bad ass than 90% of the nice cars I see in the car capital of LA.

I call it Snake Plisken’s Towncar.

Noe, Right on brother!

Whats the point of having a car, ANY CAR Classic or NOT, if you cant enjoy driving it everyday? Its best to enjoy your ride rather than stored in the garage, left to be only driven on Sunny Sundays. If the weather is good, I’d say drive your ride. Because you never know if you’ll be here to drive the next day..

well, i used to dd my 69 camaro 230 I6, until the taillight wiring finally shorted out (leaky trunk) and i took her apart to redo the entire car’s wiring…putting her back on the road as my daily again soon. biggest thing about dd’ing an old car, i think, is that its a major conversation piece. random strangers, cops, chicks, old dudes, bikers, anybody will chat you up, and you wind up making new friends now and then

I have a 72′ Chevy El Camino with a diesel for my daily driver and that gets me about 22MPG city which is great for me cause I have two other cars that guzzle gas like nothing. I also drive a 70′ Dodge Challenger and a 85′ Chevy K10 that I drive around just as much despite the fact that both of them are only getting about 14MPG on a good day.

My daily driver from May to October is a Vespa, lol. Barring that, I drive a ‘63 Falcon sedan with 4 drums, 2-speed auto and other “modern inconveniences.” I love the looks though, and the 170 gets 22mpg. I treated myself to a stereo and seatbelts for it.

That Charger makes me want to have a detective show!! I think driving a classic everyday is cool. I’m sure most of them are as efficient as suv’s. Don’t crush ‘em, restore ‘em!!!

I currently daily drive a 1987 El Camino and a 1969 GTO (cloned from the more pedestrian LeMans, runs a Chevy 350 bored over to a 355). The two cars together cost me far less than one new car.

i’m picking up a ‘72 bmw 2002tii on friday. it will be my daily driver whether it likes it or not. 30 mpg vs 12 in my dodge dakota pu. the choice is obvious.

The idea really isn’t so far fetched, I mean just think about the styling. There is NOTHING today that compares to the designs of the late 60’s and early 70’s. These cars started their lives as daily drivers and I see no reason they can’t take up that duty again. I think the key however if you are considering this is to buy the BEST car you can find. Spend the money up front so won’t have to later on down the road.

my name is steve and i have a classic daily driver, my car is a 1970 chevy el camino that i use every day, it is my only vehicle so except for the winter i drive it all the time, hot, cold, rain, anything, i have no a/c but who cares when you got windows for crusin, theres nothign wrong with a classic daily driver

My first car was a ‘74 Charger just like that — same model, same motor, different color, but same car. It was a pleasant car to drive, but Mopars of that era rust if you look at ‘em hard. It’d work as a year-round driver in the Southwest maybe, but I wouldn’t try it in New England or the snow belt.

Of course, I tossed the 318 and put a 440 in mine, but I was 17 and gas was a buck a gallon… what did I know?

black 1982 trans am. my brother has a black 1983 trans am. its not easy to drive everyday. the gas is killing right now, with neither of the cars being very fuel efficient. but other than that, they are both fun to drive around everyday, although having the ACs working would help…

BTW that looks like a 73 SE charger. one of my dream cars

ive been drivin my 74 dart sport everywhere i go lately. 45xxx original miles and still has the original hoses under the hood!! bone stoke 318 2bbl,904, and i swapped out the 7 1/4 for a 8 1/4. had it up to 100mph the other day! outran my cuzins piece of shit 01 chev pickup hehe

I really dont like the designing of this car.

i drive a 73 dodge coronet custom every single day every where i go! original 318 with holley two-barrel, gets close to 18 mpg, and still has some get up and go believe it or not.

My 1975 Volvo 245DL isn’t what I would call a classic, and it’s condition has recently been downgraded from “beater” to “craptacular,” but if I did own a classic car I don’t know if I could bear not to drive it. My standards are pretty low as far as amenities go, and my granny-style driving squeezes excellent mileage out of any car. I’m getting thirty miles per gallon on average from my ancient Volvo.

My beast is a daily driver. 75 formula, EST. 10 MPG!
I don’t mind gas, just the risk of damage. I got a new battle scar today from a wooden post…

Not for a daily, yet. We are teaching him how to stop first [aka - brake job needs doing] Ours is a 1966 Chevy C10 Panel truck, with a 283 V8, ugly but oem.

I drive my 72′ Impala everday. I’ve had people trying to tell me to get rid of it and buy something new. I gave in one time when my sister wouldn’t stop bothering me and went to go test drive a few cars….. I couldn’t wait to get back into the 72′.

I’m not trying to restore it, but I would like to paint it.

I got people asking me what is the gas mileage and I could care less what I get.

I hate to promote my site and rarely do. However, I have a page titled ‘Seen about town’ On that page is a picture of a 35 Chevy pickup that looks really original. I see that rig parked there on a regular basis and see the owner driving the truck back and forth to that parkinglot, and his home in Folsom, California. It helps me to believe that truck’s owner works at the Kragen Auto Parts there at the shopping center…
Oh and yes my Saturn is a daily driver…What? Oh! Classic cars…got it!

So far in my Cardomain Garage I have A Lamborghini, Ferrari, Mustang, and a Bently. I’m also thinking about buying the new Chevy Camaro before it come’s out. Maybe I should add a couple Muscle cars and Hot Rods to my car collection before I get the new Camaro. Anyway, I love old Charger’s. The sound that come’s out of the exhaust just Blow’s my mind away.

i have had 3 classics for daily drivers and i just turned 18. my first one was a ‘77 f-100 that was pretty ratty but still a blast and got lots of looks. my second one (and current daily driver) is a ‘79 fairmont futura with a mild 302, T-5 and 4.56 gears. Im not sure of the gas milage because the speedo isnt hooked up but its not really killing my wallet. I drive it all year round every day no matter of the weather. Although it doesnt have much traction in the snow. or on dry pavement for that matter haha. my other classic was a ‘72 f-250 camper special. 351 cleveland 2 brl with 4.10 camper special gears. I actually sold that one due to fuel milage but only becuase i didnt have a job at the time. Classics are fun. theyre different. i love to be the odd man out around here.

Mike, I’m building my daily driver, The body is 51 years old, the drivetrain is 3 years old. Does that count?

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2415963

My other rides are older too, but you would probably define them as beaters before you called them classics. My current daily is a 1991 trooper.

Casey

I Drive my 69 Chevelle Everyday Rain or Shine. It gets a little hot in the summer with no A/C But I still Wouldn’t trade it for anything…

hell yeah, do it! Probably more reliable than some newer cars, hell probably better than my Cav, and about the same mpgs! lol (my sucks on gas)

Sweet! There’s a ‘66 Charger on the street in my ‘hood, but it’s a garage queen, not a daily driver.

(Here are a couple photos of it:
http://kittbo.blogspot.com/2008/03/smoooooth-1965-dodge-charger.html
I mistakenly labeled it a ‘65 when I posted it, but they only had a prototype that year.)

Such a great-looking car.

The problem is the risk of driving an old vehicle that doesn’t have reproduction parts available for it. It’s a special kind of fear you feel as you look in the rearview mirror and a van barrels toward you while you’re at a redlight and steel quarter panels are not made. Trust me!

I drove m Impala daily in SoCal for a year or so, then move for work. But, I bought it for daily use, and have selected components for daily use, and I fucking love it!
-
I get 16+ MPG from my 327 with 3 speed auto. My cam gives me a pretty even torque curve so I’m making good use of the 3rd speed on the highway, never have to give it more then 1″ push on the gas!!… Well OF COURSE, I HAVE to do that a lot… but not because I need to!
-

My next daily driver’s going to be a 73 AMC Hornet Hatchback with a Chrysler fuel injected 4.0L and cruising gears. FI reliability and economy, A/C, cruise, all of the ammenities, and I’ll have pretty much the only one on the road.

Old school for daily driver? Hell yes.

Does my 1982 Rabbit count? I know my dad’s old 59 Austin Healey 3000 does. He daily drove it for 12 years, and it’s looking like he’ll be doing so again soon!

Im currently restoring a 1969 camaro. When its done it will be my daily driver. Im 17 its my only car.

I used to drive my 1987 Fiero GT as a daily driver to school and back every day. Granted, it’s not quite a classic yet, but it was twice as old as the 90’s cars all my friends drive. I’d always give them crap because not only did my 20 year old car have half the miles but it rarely broke down whereas there’s were consistently sitting in pieces in their garages.

My 70 Charger, before being broad-sided. Basically stock 318, 904 TF, 2.71 in the rear. I was averaging around 20 – 21 MPG hwy. It was built for the freeway.
My first car, 73 Charger SE, 400 2bbl, 727 TF, can’t remember the rearend ratio, but it got 17 MPG.

My buddy drives a 73′ charger as a daily driver… of course its no where near the condition of that one. But these pictures prove to me that my buddies car could actually look good… if he put 25 grand into it.

adter 20 years, there is an epiphany. If there wasn’t, the car wouldn’t have made it that far…A daily driver as a classic, would no doubt be purchased by someone who didn’t care for it.