Last night was the first nite in a long time where studying was optional and I took advantage of the free time by letting my brain devolve for a while in a pointless search for “my next car”. I put aside the fact that it will be at least 3-5 years before I will be done with school and have any free cash to even think of buying something with a price that has five digits on the left side of the decimal point. I also purposely forgot that I already have three vehicles, plus The Wife’s two and would have to build extra parking around the back of the house before or shortly after buying something new.
If you would like to play along, here are the parameters:
1 – It has to be pre-1985. Washington has emissions laws which cover from the current model year to 25 years back. I’m not wanting to play any more of the stick-up-the-tailpipe games with the WADMV and am looking for something exempt.
Also, this allows me to build the car I want instead of having to take whatever I can I find.
2 – Has to be a car. I own two full size trucks and a Jeep. I want a car again.
3 – It needs to be reliable enough to be a daily driver. In the rain.
No LS-6 Chevelle’s whose value drops every time the odometer turns 1/10th. No convertibles. No hard-core custom hot rods.
4 – Price limit of $15K, completed.
My preliminary choices are below the fold.
I started out in dream land, of course.
David loves him some 1976-77 Corvettes, but that is probably because he is a couple years older than I am. When I was 9-10 years old, when boys really start to notice automobiles, the 1981-82 Corvettes were rolling out of the showroom and were the “hot” car to have. I like the hugemongous front ends and wheels of that stretch of C-3 Vettes. Yes, they quite literally scream “penile compensation unit”, but if you build them right they’ll be yelling at your tail lights.
The biggest problem with these Vettes is finding a L-81 (aka: the 4-speed car) and not an L-82 (aka: the slushboxer). The majority of them came with the T-Tops and less-than-gawdy paintwork you want, though 80% the interiors were in colors chosen by a blind man. So just know you’re either going to have to hunt down a black interior car or put one in.
Other than finding a car with a manual transmission and replacing/finding the right interior, you just need to replace the neutered 200hp 5.7L the car came with. There are a plethora of SBC mills out there to choose from, with horsepower ratings anywhere from 300-500 horses that any drooling moron who can operate an engine hoist without killing himself can pull and plug. Of course, this is also dependent on how much you want/have left to spend. If you keep your head about you, it would be realistic to have enough money left over for a 350-400hp mill. I’d be happy with that in a daily driver car.
A decent example of the car I am describing will go for $8-10K. Though you will want to make sure you don’t get put on some Corvette fanatic’s death list by choosing a car that is missing the original paperwork and has under, say, 80,000 miles.
If you do find a real nice auto trans car with everything else right, including the price, you might still have enough left over to buy and install a 5spd gearbox out of a C-4 Vette. But that means labor and knowledge, either yours or your wallet’s.
I then decided that I’d rather go a little bit older, both “just because” and just in case the imbeciles in my statehouse decide to roll back the 25 year emissions marker to, say, 35 years.
Chevelles and Camaros start at $15K and you’ll either need to paint it or it’ll be without a drive train when you get a bill of sale, So I went with a Nova of the 1968-74 era. Like the Corvette above, they start at $8-10K and come with any engine you want. From 350ci to 454ci. However, I like a manual transmission and decent gas mileage in my daily driver, so I’ll stick with a 5.7L mill again.
The Novas fly under the radar a lot easier than a Vette does, but they’re just as cool because of the age. You’ll probably end up with someone’s clone/interpretation of a Nova SS. The only thing you’ll truly need to watch for, besides rust, are those plum-ignorant vinyl covered roofs. Why the hell that ever became a trend, I’ll never figure out.
Otherwise, just decide which colors you don’t want and whether you’ll settle for a bench seat car or not.
I’ll choose this one. It’ll need a motor, but everything else, including the price, is right.
On a side note, if you can stand the oddball front ends, the Pontiac Venturas go for 20% less than the Novas. Even the GTO’s of that era are cheaper.
For my third and final choice, I walked away from the GM cars.
Seeing as how $15K won’t buy you diddly from Mopar until you reach the mid-1970’s, if you want to leave the GM brands, you’ll be going with a Ford.
So, my last choice would likely be one of the third series of Torinos.
For two reason’s: First, it is NOT a Mustang. I’m sick to here (picture me holding my hand above my head) with Mustangs and their clique-ish freak owners. Most of the cars are ass-ugly and overpriced for how abused they are. Second, I can’t find enough Falcon Sport Coupes to get a read on their current price range.
I’m not talking about the Starsky and Hutch rounded-rectangle grill series of cars. I speak of the oval-grill cars with the almost split bumper look. They came with either a 302, 351Cleveland (both in 2 or 4bbl carb versions) or a 427. You can’t touch a 427 car in our price range, so grab one of the smaller engined cars and work from there.
Again, you’ll have to keep an eye out for rust and ugly vinyl tops, but their price range is anywhere from $4-10K, so if you shop around and find one with no or only minor body issues, you should be able to drop in your power plant and transmission of choice, with enough money left over for any necessary paint/speeding tickets.
This one has the right price. I don’t mind the 302 or the color at all.
So, what would you do? Or should I say “What would do you?”
See, you’re going in completely the opposite direction I would.
I’d be thinking old Beetle, or better yet, Thing. If the Thing, I’d paint it Feldgrau and put Iron Crosses on the side to really freak people out.
Although, according to my Dad (who still owns and occassionally drives his ’65), parts for the old Beetles are getting tougher to find. But they’re probably still cheaper than anything on your list.
I’ll see your utili-vehicle, and raise you an early 70’s F-250, which is my current project. I cannot let go of my need for autoveloce, even with my need for SHTF readiness placed squarely in front of it. Hence, the V-8 fixation
That, and if I had to listen to that rattling air-cooled mill everyday, I’d probably just shoot myself. I can barely stand my neighbor’s bug and I only have to hear it a few times a week.
But, to each his own.
If you’re not stuck on American, what about a GTI?
The first body style was 1983 and 1984. The second body style was 1985 until (I don’t know when).
While it is getting difficult to find some trim parts, the body and drivetrain will last a long time.
Hopup books report the Gen1 chassis is predictable to 170hp. Many watercooled VW engines and transmissions can be mated and fit in the engine compartment.
I intend to install a 2 liter in my Rabbit: used 1994 Jetta short block, rebuilt 1984 GTI head (bigger valves), and the stock 1984 Rabbit transmission (wide-ratio). I ordered two custom parts: an exhaust downpipe and a distributor adapter. Custom fab will be an extended timing belt cover (2 t/c spliced together). All mounts should be the same. I will need to “adjust” the rain tray a bit with a dead-blow hammer to clear the original intake manifold.
This conversion is well documented, but is conservative. The factory Rabbit was 74hp from 1.7L, and the GTI was 90hp from 1.8L. Between the big-valve head, match-porting, and VW “G” mild-performance cam, I expect about 120hp using *all* the same factory FI parts. If necessary, I will add a factory knock sensor and harness from a later GTI. This would use *all* the same FI parts.
Other engines from more modern VWs would be closer to meeting or exceeding 170hp. Later engines have EFI with harnesses and chips. If you wanted more than 150/160hp, the second generation chassis was built stiffer to get the power to the ground.
hth.
Good luck,
Erik in Colo.
How ’bout a 1965 Plymouth Valiant Station Wagon? Slant 6, easy maintenance, parts available at Lowe’s or Home Depot. Goes almost anywhere not requiring a FWD. Classic (snicker) styling.
My daughter has the ’63 version with push button trans and She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed has the ’66 2-door Signet with a 318 go-fast option. All three are working cars and they just run.
Just a thought …
Erik, my Jeep expert also does Rabbit/Golf/GTI’s. So that’d be a decent idea. However, I’ve never been a fan.
Also, if you have a case of “Leadfoot”, you’ll want to get some therapy to cure it. More than 130-140hp in a pre-2K FWD car will give you spectacular torque steer…right off the road. Take a look at the rarity of used front-end pieces for the Corrado as an example.
Sennin, I’ve thought about going further back than 68 for my next car, and I may well do so. I’ve looked at the first series Barracudas, since they are still rather reasonably priced. Unfortunately, those are getting onto 50 years old and parts get real hard to find and really expensive, as I am learning with The Wife’s Galaxie.
“my Jeep expert ”
got some names of decent 4×4 shops in the puget sound area? want to get a truck or jeep soon with winter coming and would use it for camping / off road next summer.
Unless your budget is above $10K, buy an 88-95 Cherokee ($3-5K). Put a 3.5in or more lift into it and buy some good tires for it.
It is just that simple. The Toyotas are overpriced and the S-10 Blazers have limited and expensive aftermarket parts. I know nothing about the Nissans and like it that way.
As for shops, I’ve never heard anything bad about Billy Bob’s on South Hill or Central 4WD in Kent. Or I can hook you up with my guy. He’s in Bonney Lake and works out of his personal garage, but his hours are finicky (just like mine).
If you are going older…
1974 Datsun 240Z, Throw in a small block V8 some updated brakes and suspension, a new interior and call it done…
Fast, Nimble, Sleeper…
Err 1973
’84 or ’85 Porsche 911. The most connected responsive car I have ever driven. Find one in good shape and keep it that way.
Since I’m partial to Mopars, I’d second the recommendation for just about any ’67-’75 A-body (Barracuda, Valiant, Duster, Dart, etc.) with the 225 slant-6 or the LA V8 (273/318). Parts are still relatively widespread, and the platform is economical if you stay away from the nosebleed prices associated with the 340 or big block 383/440’s.
If you look hard enough, you can find a second-gen (70-74) Barracuda or Challenger with the 225. They’re almost becoming collector’s items, though, due to their rarity…no one back in the day wanted a puny 170hp slant six when that sexy 383 or hemi mill was available, dontcha know?
If you’re considering the Torino, you might also want to look into the Rich Corinthian Leather of the late 70’s to early 80’s Cordoba. Watch out for that troublesome Lean Burn system, though.
Moving a little forward in Mopar history to the Iacocca era, it’s hard to beat the pedestrian first generation of K-cars or even the L-bodies. That 2.2 4-banger is damn near as reliable as the 225 if you can put up with the valvetrain noise. Heck, I just missed out on an ’87ish Reliant with 40k miles for $900.