Car Riddle

I was thinking of having my next automobile purchase be a vintage/classic car and some assistance in my selection would be greatly appreciated.

Here is what I am looking for: everyday driver, four-door, reliable, decent gas mileage, and, of course, unique...

Any recommendations?

Thanks.

How old are you thinking? How much will you be driving it? What do you want to spend?

Depending on your situation you could have anything from a 55 Chevy to an 80's BMW 5 Series.

Gas mileage is not likely to be too great, but a 1984-88 BMW 5 series is very nice car with a lot of getup and go. A very classic look.

Another nice option would be a 70's Mercedes 240D or 300D. An early 80's is nice too.

http://www.frankdale.com/stocklist.php

May I recommend the 1958 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud.

70s Mercedes SEL

What's your price range? 1960's Mercedes 300 SEL http://www.motorbase.com/vehicle/by-id/1241/ 1960's Jaguar MKII http://www.jdht.com/jdht_collection/...YPEEKT979.html

Originally Posted by DarkNWorn

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70s Mercedes SEL

This is a very nice car if found in decent condition. Very nice styling and solid performance.

Originally Posted by Aaron

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How old are you thinking? How much will you be driving it? What do you want to spend?

Depending on your situation you could have anything from a 55 Chevy to an 80's BMW 5 Series.

For the most part, I have been looking at cars that are 25-40 years old, i.e., 1968-1983. However, in actuality, I am only concerned about age in as much as it bears on reliability and style.

As for use, most days it would be driven 20-25 miles. But, there will be a trip or two a year from SF to LA.

As for price, $20,000-$25,000 to start the discussion with some upward wiggle room if the car is really sweet.

Buy a Jaguar. XJ6. You will always be the most debonaire. You will also be poor from the maintenance.

Originally Posted by Huntsman

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Buy a Jaguar. XJ6. You will always be the most debonaire. You will also be poor from the maintenance.

you will also be left stranded on the freeway--smoke spewing from under the hood.

Originally Posted by matadorpoeta

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you will also be left stranded on the freeway--smoke spewing from under the hood.

Love how those cars looks but the reliability, or lack thereof, has scared me off.

Can one look debonair standing of the side of the road?

Originally Posted by onlynameleft

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As for use, most days it would be driven 20-25 miles. But, there will be a trip or two a year from SF to LA.
Not to rain on your parade, but are you serious? Vintage cars don't do this.

Originally Posted by onlynameleft

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As for price, $20,000-$25,000 to start the discussion with some upward wiggle room if the car is really sweet.
$25,000 budget= $10,000 for the car. +$10,000 for repairs and restoration in the first six months +$5000 for a late model Toyota, Ford or Honda to drive when your classic is "in the shop".

Originally Posted by tlmusic

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Not to rain on your parade, but are you serious? Vintage cars don't do this. $25,000 budget= $10,000 for the car. +$10,000 for repairs and restoration in the first six months +$5000 for a late model Toyota, Ford or Honda to drive when your classic is "in the shop".
Hmmm...two downer comments in this post. But at least they were prefaced with "Not to rain on your parade." As for trips from SF to LA, I recognize the general rule is that older vehicles cannot reliably make that trip. I was hoping to hear that they were cars that fell outside of that norm.

Originally Posted by onlynameleft

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As for trips from SF to LA, I recognize the general rule is that older vehicles cannot reliably make that trip. I was hoping to hear that they were cars that fell outside of that norm.

If by vintage you mean a 1989 Honda Civic, then yes.

Originally Posted by onlynameleft

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Hmmm...two downer comments in this post. But at least they were prefaced with "Not to rain on your parade."
Sorry if my post seemed negative. I happen to love vintage cars, and have owned a couple early 70's muscle cars over the years. Realistically, there is really no car I've heard of that's 20 years or older that you can depend on for daily use--with the possible exception of a 20-year-old Honda or Toyota. Other things to consider-- Most older cars do not handle bad weather well. At best, they'll leak. At worst, you'll find the handling pretty tough on rainy or snowy roads. When you have a cool car, there's always the question of where to park it. The older cars do not have rubber bumpers, so an old car can be easily damaged parallel parking. If you park in a questionable neighborhood, there's always the fear someone will steal the wheel covers or trim. What about air-conditioning? Many vintage cars don't even have it. I have plenty of stories from my friends and family about trying to make an old car a daily driver. A vintage car is a fun luxury.