1940's Car as an everyday driver?

Not deathtraps, but you need to understand that driving habits and lifestyle has evolved from when those cars were new. These days, people will follow much closer than they could then -- if you follow at a normal distance and the guy in front of you slams on his breaks you will run into him because you will not be able to stop at the same speed. These days, people tend to expect to be able to go out in any weather like a normal day and not do 2 mph. You will need to stay home, or become a hazard on the road. Parts availability will depend on the model. ~ H

As an everyday driver, they are a poor choice. These cars are vintage vehicles with vintage parts, which are very expensive to replace as you will have to source them from another collector with an inventory. The reason their values are falling is that the market for vintage cars is relative to the age of buyers that have a living memory of those vehicles and enough disposable income to buy, restore and maintain a vintage vehicle. Cars of the 1960s and 1970s are popular now. With the exception of museums, that buy special or unique or historically-significant cars, there are fewer buyers for older vehicles. Private owners, as might have owned that Chrysler funeral limousine, are getting to an age where they are selling those acquisitions due to retirement, poor health or house moving and there just isn't as much demand for typical cars from the 1940s and 1950s (except icon vehicles, '57 Nomads and the like). As the poster above said, the safety of those vehicles is not like those made today. Typically, the cars are very heavy and have old drum brakes and old suspension designs and are less easily controlled in an emergency and less-easily stopped. They were made to use older bias-ply tires and other materials that have been long replaced in the market for better, safer and cheaper alternatives. If you are going to buy a car from that era, you should think about American cars from the late 1950s or later, which were more popular with restorers, and for which there is a much bigger market for replacement parts. It still wouldn't make a good daily driver, poor mileage and worse wear and tear (cars then rusted after a couple of years in the Northeast), but as an occasional use car, it could be fun to have.

There's also the matter of maintenance. This car will be from the era of lube jobs, actual tune ups with points, plugs, distributors, timing lights, etc, twice-yearly coolant flushes and 3,000 mile oil changes. Some old cars even ran different thermostats from summer to winter. Cars of that vintage will make a 12-cylinder Ferrari look like a new Honda. Keeping one on the road is a hobby in itself.

+3 The cars not only accelerate and (most important) brake and swerve differently than modern cars. The steering is also different.

Senior living facilities buy these old cars so the senile guys in their 80s can wash them every day. They are fun to drive once a week but as a daily driver, they are a bad idea.

Sure, in Havana.

Nice car, but in the world of 2010, driving a rather heavy, underpowered, undre handling, and slow to brake car everyday is not a good idea.

Would be a bitch to park!

These are all good points. Alternatively, you have to consider the benefits of being an uncontrollable badass.

I drove a late 60s american car as a daily driver through college and for a few years after. It had plenty of power but didn't stop well and didn't turn great either and that is a car 20 years newer than what you're talking about.

THIS.

I had a friend in HS who inherited a 1948 Chevy from his deceased grandfather. Push button starter (and transmission I believe). He drove it every day around town and not on highways. If your conception of an everyday driver is that ---avoiding faster intersates, 50 mph max speed--then they are probably not as much a liability. My office is 8 miles from my house and can all be driven in a 25-35 MPH speed limit area. I would feel fine driving a vintage badass to work and back. I have ponderered acquiring an early 60's VW death trap for just such a purpose. It would be like having a 4 wheeled scooter with doors. No highways or interstates...

Have you ever even ridden in one? It will be noiser inside than what you expect. It probably won't have power steering. It certainly won't have power windows or door locks. It probably will have power-boosted brakes, but they will be weak drums without ABS. It probably won't have air conditioning. The heater will probably sorta-work (compared to a new car). The windshield wipers will be useless by modern standards. You will need to learn to adjust the carburetor and ignition points yourself, or pay to have this done on a frequent (by modern standards) basis. It's likely you'll need to learn to adjust the valves (or, have that done). These cars are very . . . mechanical. The ownership experience is nothing like owning an automotive appliance of today. OTOH, many of these maintenance tasks can be easily learned and done on your own if you have a garage and some simple hand tools. On the plus side, living in the Rustbelt, USA is the perfect place to live, as there are probably a few mechanics around who still know how to maintain American cars of this vintage, provided that you can source the parts (online, new-old-stock, etc). Granted, most of those mechanics are approaching retirement too. Judging from your question, you probably couldn't even crank one of these cars if you were handed the keys. I probably couldn't either. The 'starting ritual' is so divorced from anything in the modern era. It probably involves pulling out a manual choke knob all the way, pumping the gas once, putting in the clutch, turning the key, holding your mouth right, and trying to start it. When that fails, you pushing the choke in half way the next time and try it again.

I drove one for quite a while as a teenager (and NO, it wasn't NEW). Doable, as long as you don't drive like a nut. I'm looking at using a MG TC as a daily driver so that'd be not much different.