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OT- advice on getting a vintage car vs. new

Started by SuperBird,

50 posts in this topic

SuperBird

SuperBird

Posted
Posted

Hi all, I am looking to get a car for light use; basically to and from the train station, dropping kid off locally, etc. No plans for long trips. I definitely want something retro, and have basically 2 choices in that regard:

 

a new Mini Cooper for $20K or a little more. (used ones do not drop in price sufficiently to make it worthwhile) The current VW bugs do not appeal to me.

 

a vintage 60's or early 70's beetle or something similar for under $10k

 

I know basically nothing about cars or car maintenance, and cannot drive a manual. I'm sure I could learn enough to do light work, but the $10k or more price differential would also give me money to put into repairs and such. I have driven in Dave's mini, and find it somewhat uncomfortable, and the older vintage cars would have more room. Having said that, I am fine with style over comfort.

 

advice?

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BrianR

BrianR

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Posted

Beetles are very easy to work on and relatively cheap to work on as well. As first car to tinker around with it could be fun. However with having your kids in the car you may want to consider which is safer, more reliable, and comfortible. The Beetle doesn't have A/C for those hot summer days and takes a while to warm up on those cold winter ones.

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TFL-migration

TFL-migration

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For gas mileage... Get a Yaris. For what they are. A gas sipping miser... Big enough inside too... There not bad looking either.. Not great, but not bad either... Some of the smaller Fords are excellent on gas as well. The Mini Cooper is nice. But just way too small if your driving kids around to soccer games and such...

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hockey&comicsguy

hockey&comicsguy

Posted
Posted
Hi all, I am looking to get a car for light use; basically to and from the train station, dropping kid off locally, etc. No plans for long trips. I definitely want something retro, and have basically 2 choices in that regard:

 

a new Mini Cooper for $20K or a little more. (used ones do not drop in price sufficiently to make it worthwhile) The current VW bugs do not appeal to me.

 

a vintage 60's or early 70's beetle or something similar for under $10k

 

I know basically nothing about cars or car maintenance, and cannot drive a manual. I'm sure I could learn enough to do light work, but the $10k or more price differential would also give me money to put into repairs and such. I have driven in Dave's mini, and find it somewhat uncomfortable, and the older vintage cars would have more room. Having said that, I am fine with style over comfort.

 

advice?

 

Aren't they pretty much giving cars away these days? If you're going to drop at least 10 grand, why not get a good, newer, dependable car that you shouldn't have to worry about working on. Of course you did state you wanted something retro looking. Whatever floats your boat.

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mschmidt

mschmidt

Posted
Posted
Hi all, I am looking to get a car for light use; basically to and from the train station, dropping kid off locally, etc. No plans for long trips. I definitely want something retro, and have basically 2 choices in that regard:

 

a new Mini Cooper for $20K or a little more. (used ones do not drop in price sufficiently to make it worthwhile) The current VW bugs do not appeal to me.

 

a vintage 60's or early 70's beetle or something similar for under $10k

 

I know basically nothing about cars or car maintenance, and cannot drive a manual. I'm sure I could learn enough to do light work, but the $10k or more price differential would also give me money to put into repairs and such. I have driven in Dave's mini, and find it somewhat uncomfortable, and the older vintage cars would have more room. Having said that, I am fine with style over comfort.

 

advice?

 

It all depends on your willingness to learn & get your hands dirty - vintage beetles are relatively easy to work on, but you're still talking about a 30-40 year old car here. Things will go wrong, and unless you have the patience (and the cash) to fix it yourself, owning a vintage car isn't much fun.

 

I have both a 67 mustang & a 66 toronado that I work on myself - alongside my 2007 magnum & the wife's 2008 mini cooper - but my vintage cars are for pleasure cruising only in the summer. During the long winter months they are kept within the garage at all times.

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VintageComics

VintageComics

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Air conditioning was a luxury option. The Volkswagen was an economical "peopl's" car....literally as that is the translation. It's only in the past 15 years that AC has been standard on most cars.

 

If you are looking for AC you will need a newer car. Period. AC systems in older cars are expensive to maintain, unreliable and do not cool that great...unless you are driving a Caddy.

 

If you are looking for a newer car with style I would read up on some public forums.

 

My co -owrker worked for mini and said they were decent cars as long as you did not expect it to be a BMW...meaning that many people bought them with the expectation that they were buying a BMW at a discount price.

 

:screwy:

 

Beetles will be relatively cheap to maintain because they have literally been around for 70 years so parts and knowledge availability will be vast.

 

Not sure if this helps.

 

My recommendation? I have 4 kids and my car of choice is a 1995 Mercedes Benz E320. To me it's a handsome car, roomy, built like a tank in terms of strength, relatively fuel efficient for a mid size car...but has bags and bags of class and comfort....it's basically a car that drives like a $70,000 car for less than 1/10 the price.

 

My last one had about 300,000 miles on it and it drove like a brand new car. Not a squeek, rattle or anything else to be heard. I paid $3000 CAN for it.

Parts and service are reasonable and much cheaper than most Japanese cars and they feel rock solid whether you are coatsing about town or cruising at 130 MPH.

 

R.

 

disclaimer...they do have a slight problem with oil leaks at the front of the engine which can be fixed for under a $1000.

 

 

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Dick Pontoon

Dick Pontoon

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I’ve driven nothing but 1970-76 Mopars for the entirety of the 26 years I’ve had my license, with 2 exceptions. If you basically know nothing about cars or maintenance, I wouldn’t recommend buying a 30-40 year old car for primary transportation, especially living in the rust belt. Get yourself a Subaru or a Toyota for the family car and some vintage iron for the warm weather.

 

I’m in the process of retiring my 76 Dodge Dart; it’s just not a practical family mobile and even with good tires isn't much fun to drive in New England snow. When space and finances allow, I look forward to another old Chrysler for a fun car and not daily driver.

 

Strangely enough, the car I am now driving is a 1995 Mercedes E320. hm

 

 

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Dick Pontoon

Dick Pontoon

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Yes, although I expected the ride to be something more magical. To me it just drives like a solid car. But the seats might be the best ones I've sat in. And it does have the Lower Rear Seat Headrest button. :insane: What kind of weird feature is that?

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VintageComics

VintageComics

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Yes, although I expected the ride to be something more magical. To me it just drives like a solid car. But the seats might be the best ones I've sat in. And it does have the Lower Rear Seat Headrest button. :insane: What kind of weird feature is that?

 

The ride leans toward sporty more than luxury but tire pressure will have a lot to do with that. I think proper pressure are 27 psi for that car (should be on a label in the gas flap). If you over inflate you will reduce ride comfort.

 

Solid is a misnomer. The car feels like a bank vault...from the way the doors "thunk" to the way to "owns" the road.

 

That 5 link rear suspension is an engineering feat of beauty though. It's so good that they introduced it in 1983 and it stayed unchanged for almost 2.5 decades. You basically have to be suicidal to unsettle that car in a corner. Sheer magic!

 

That rear headrest release (for increasing rear visibility) along with the typical Benz "oversize" steering wheel (to give additional leverage should you loose your power steering assist) is pure Benz "over engineering" quirkiness. Funny stuff.

 

Great car!

 

I'm currently driving a Honda Civic for fuel mileage because I commute about 700 miles a week for work (I get about 40% better fuel mileage than the Benz) but am in the market for a nice mid 90's E320 as a second car as soon as I find a nice one again!

 

R.

 

 

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hockey&comicsguy

hockey&comicsguy

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Yes, although I expected the ride to be something more magical. To me it just drives like a solid car. But the seats might be the best ones I've sat in. And it does have the Lower Rear Seat Headrest button. :insane: What kind of weird feature is that?

 

The ride leans toward sporty more than luxury but tire pressure will have a lot to do with that. I think proper pressure are 27 psi for that car (should be on a label in the gas flap). If you over inflate you will reduce ride comfort.

 

Solid is a misnomer. The car feels like a bank vault...from the way the doors "thunk" to the way to "owns" the road.

 

That 5 link rear suspension is an engineering feat of beauty though. It's so good that they introduced it in 1983 and it stayed unchanged for almost 2.5 decades. You basically have to be suicidal to unsettle that car in a corner. Sheer magic!

 

That rear headrest release (for increasing rear visibility) along with the typical Benz "oversize" steering wheel (to give additional leverage should you loose your power steering assist) is pure Benz "over engineering" quirkiness. Funny stuff.

 

Great car!

 

I'm currently driving a Honda Civic for fuel mileage because I commute about 700 miles a week for work (I get about 40% better fuel mileage than the Benz) but am in the market for a nice mid 90's E320 as a second car as soon as I find a nice one again!

 

R.

 

 

Man, it'd be cool to know something about cars. Alas I know nothing so when they start to act funny I get rid of them.

 

My 02 Isuzu Rodeo, which I loved and had only 60,000 miles on it, needed about $900 worth of work so I said all that and just traded it and some cash for a 2005 Chevy Equinox with 20,000 miles on it .

 

What can I say. I like my SUV's. I like lots of room and I like getting a new(er) car every 5 or 6 years.

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nik

nik

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Posted

Buy a Hummer :kidaround:

 

NY is similar to NE weather wise. Need room for kids, not using it much so mileage is not a factor hm

 

The retro part is throwing me off so I can't recommend anything of the top of my head.

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