Owning only classic cars, another ancillary to Quennie's thread Options

[jonwatts]

The budget thread got me thinking, would (or do) any of you own only classic cars as an alternative to having a mix of new and old? I'm not talking about just you, but would you let your wife and kids run errands or commute 30 minutes to work daily in a 30+ year old car if it was restored or a well maintained survivor?

Would the maintenance be cheaper than car / lease payments? (I think yes)

Can they be as reliable as today's cars? (I think yes again)

Can they be as safe? (twice the metal but half the safety features, tough call)

Can they meet your needs? (grocery hauler, team bus, tow vehicle)

I (and my wife) could definitely see losing the volvo for something with a lot of style and cheaper to boot. But I think if it left her stranded more than 3-4 times a year it would be a deal breaker. She's a teacher so showing up to work a few hours late doesn't cut it.

For example purposes only:
(IMG:http://i19.ebayimg.com/03/i/01/92/aa/7d_1_b.JPG)

[KaptKaos]

I think it was Peter Egan in Road & Track several years ago that wrote about "The One Good Car Principle." The idea being that in your family, you have at least one "good" car. That car being something modern, that did not need the care and feeding that older cars need. The idea is that as long as you have one "good" car, then you could have a bunch of old cars and use them while they were working. If they were sidelined, you always had the one "good" car to get around in if needed.

I have pretty much adopted this theory and it has worked fairly well. The wife drives a minivan (we have 2 kids) and I split my time between my teener, a 91 Jetta GLi 2.0 and a 72 Fiat 850 Spider. The teener and the VW are daily drivers. The Fiat, well, it's a Fiat.

I would love to get my wife to drive a '61 Lincoln Continental with the suicide doors, but she will have none of that.

I'd like to get a BMW 2002, Fiat 128 Sedan, Alfa GTV, the aforementioned Lincoln or a '63 Ford Thunderbird and lose the Jetta, but the front drive is nice to have in the rain. Not to mention that with gas going up ($2.20 a gallon here in SoCal), four cylinder cars are nice to have.

As for costs, its a toss up. The new cars often include the maintenance in their warranties now and one big repair on and old car (assuming you do not do the work yourself) a year can equal the cost of monthly payments for that year. Personally, I think making car payments is a waste of money, but with low interest rates and these bundled warranties, it is tough to make that case.

The point is, I think in today's world, having the one "good" car is a good strategy if only for the peace of mind that it brings.

- Joe