Kinda toying with the idea of getting something really cool to drive daily. I think front drive is probably best for me and it's got to be able to run thru the winter.

I was thinking an original mini of some sort. Any other rides I might look at or just a completely of the wall idea???

How far do you travel daily?


B

Original Minis are rust buckets .....but a good one is about twice the price of a good 914.

Seems the really nice ones go for about 10-12 grand on ebay. Dam paided to much for the 914 then HAHA

I drive 45 miles or so.

The good thing is I live 2 blocks from very good mechanics and where I work there are tons of very skilled mechanics.

But yeah I am just toying with the idea.

Original Minis are generally very LOUD. They have little to no sound insulation, and you usually have to rev the snot out of them to get any speed. If you have to travel any distance on the highway, pretty much forget it. With a 998 engine, they're barely good for 60mph. With a 1275, they'll do 70-80, but you need to install a gearbox with tall final drive gearing to get it to cruise decently at all. They require a good deal more day to day maintenance than a Honda, like greasing the suspension every 6000-7000 miles.

I had two, a '63 850 and a '64 998 (later engine). Neat cars, and if all you generally intend to drive on is surface streets, they can be great. They're unreasonably expensive for what they are these days. They rust badly, have little ground clearance, and ineffective heaters (when they have a heater at all, neither of mine did).

I've driven nothing but 25-40 year old cars daily for a number of years now. Someday, I'll have at least one of them restored to the point where it doesn't leak in the rain, and starts all the time, isn't loud, is nearly as fast as a current Hyundai, and doesn't need me to constantly fix yet another minor thing. It can get old.

I'd consider something Swedish, like a Volvo 122 or a P1800, or a SAAB 99 or a Sonnett, for regular NYC winter duty. The Volvos are rwd, though.

Maybe an early GTI or Scirocco.

80s Audi Quattro Coupe?

Have you given any thougt to a Karman Gia. Something inside me keeps wanting to find a clean Gia Cabroilet and install a type iv motor for grins.

There are a whole range of VWs to consider, but the 1500 is pretty unsusal. Easy to get parts and cheap to get worked on.

Call me a wuss but I always feel safer in snow with front drive

So many cool cars on ebay though. But defeinetly not looking for a fixerupper.

The 510, Starlet, E30 and 2002 look kinda cool if I did go rwd

Also a citreon would be fun. I have a close friend who is a maserati mechanic so it wouldn't be completely out of the question.

one word Gomini

Grant - been there done that - I had a 1275 Cooper S - they are great on a smooth race track - major pain in the ass on normal roads with even the slightest uneven surfaces - I recommend highly against it - especially if you have to do HWY 17 everyday -

2002's are fuchin cool.

Click to view attachmentOne of my drivers is a 2002.

Really nice...

For the snow, try an early Audi Quattro or VW Thing...

I don't think a VW Thing would make it in a north east winter you would freeze to death in it. The 2002 sounds good but not sure about how they go in the snow/???? you don't want to spin out on the Whitestone Bridge.

Get a front driver

Early Scirocco, as was suggested, would be nice. Front Wheel Drive, fuel injected etc . . .

In know it's not front wheel drive, but, I'd take a 2002, I had a 1976. I miss that car

Older VW Cabriolet?

Want a cool daily driver, do this. Good ones are about $20000.
:PERMAGRIN: Joe

VW GTI - '86 or newer.

Fun, fun, fun & easay to tweak, if you're of a mind

SAAB 900 turbo (85 or 86 is good).

Volvo P1800S....if you want a unique classic that is absolutely bulletproof, go volvo!

inexpensive and easy/fun to work on

Not a bad option either. I'd had my ghia for about 15 years and its been great. But, if you already have a 914 they aren't that far apart.

Daily driver, I just sold my daily driver, a very loud modified Ford F150 lightning this week.

Not getting a classic, but a current production P car, yippee, (hint) its a pepper under pressure, if you know what I mean.

I am so stoked. I will start a thread when I get it home.

Anyone ever own / drive an opel GT? I've kicked around that idea for a while.

a 70-72 VW T-3 square back. throw some cheap snow tires on all 4 corners and it will work great in bad weather. enough room to haul a t-4 engine in the back too.

k

old mustang? can be very reliable and not too $$$

ghias are going up in price... but they are gorgeous cars...

I always liked Opel GTs, but never rode in one. Parts might be a concern?


what a great friday topic....classic car daily drivers. What else we got....anything british make the list? Does it have to have space?

That's a good possibility, don't forget the 411/412 models, keep it in the TIV family.

this reminds me...i've got a lead on a 4-series non-wagon(i can never keep the 11, and 12 straight) w/a factory sunroof. need to call today. time to donate the 85 jetta to charity.

k

install some snow sneakers...

If it's "safe" you want, you definitely need to forget the Mini. These things have zero crash protection. GoMini is a scam artist.

There's only one Citroen your Maserati mechanic could deal with, the SM, which is hugely complicated, and parts are hard to find and very expensive. A DS or ID would be a better choice. If you don't know how to spin wrenches yourself, though, these can get to be a problem. Very few people in the US know how to fix the complicated hydraulic systems on these cars.

I agree w/ the suggestion of a Saab 900 (pre-1993, i.e., not a Chevy). They''ve got a look that is like nothing else on the road and they handle great in the snow. The engines last forever - the only weak link is the tranny (pinion gear ?). But you can get a rebuilt one for under $1k, IIRC. And in general, Saab owners are little "differnt", a lot like 914 folks. Great online support/chat/etc. And one more huge factor in my book : the Bentley Manual kicks Haynes'

My rainy day car is a Jetta GLi 16V 2.0. Recaro seats, BBS wheels, great suspension, runs really well. Tons of trunk space and room for 5 in a pinch AND its front wheel drive.

any AMC wagon

One of my favorites. Hell, even Col. Samantha Carter on Stargate SG 1 drives one. If you need more room, the wagon version looks pretty sporty too.

I used to drive a 64 AH Sprite. Great driving Brit car, once you got it started! Cornered like a champ.
Identical in looks to the Midget.

Drew, has the Big Dig been completed yet? Spent some time out there while Bean Town was all torn up.

Best bang for the buck...Audi Quattro.

Always undervalued, yet a monster in the snow...
And you can ice race with it.

rich

I'm right with ya...love the mid 60's sprites. Very undervalued car...


The big dig is done in the sense that the tunnel is finished, as are many of the ramps...but they'll be working for years to come. They are already fixing some engineering "glitches". The public here is pretty fed up...the tunnel is great for traffic in the city, but it looks like total shiiite. A lot of skimming off the top on this project.

If you ARE in NY like your sig says and there is road salt on a long term basis....a Classic would be the last thing "I" would use on a daily driver during the winter months.....a Ricer front wheel drive beater with a stick would be my choice.

"My daily driver" is an 83 911 Cabriolet. When I bought it, it had 40K miles and now 85 and change.....I've upgraded the engine, trans, suspension and backdated the body panels to look like an early RS model. Before that was my 70, 914/6 with a 3.0......six years everyday to work.

Actualy I really like the AMC AMX Spirit. I'm kinda leaning towards a 510 or a 2002 though. 510 is probably gonna be cheaper to work on. This one is kinda sparked my interest

510 on Ebay

I have the perfect car for you.. both Front Wheel Drive, and Classic.. and Cheaper than a Mini..

1970 Honda 600 (as in 600cc vertical twin 2 stroke motorcyle engine-powered "runabout").

the 510s are cool cars but they're just a bad a ruster as the 914. maybe worse.

k

I wouln't worry about rear wheel drive in the snow if you have a rear engine. I had a lot more control driving my VW bug in the snow than my VW Rabbit.

[quote name='drewvw' date='Apr 14 2006, 06:28 AM' post='658365']
I always liked Opel GTs, but never rode in one. Parts might be a concern?


I had one in High School. Parts were a bitch to get back then and no one really made any after market stuff or it. Some guy did come in with a fuel injected V-6 once. The stock muffler set up was a pain, supported by rubber donuts.....which cracked and fell apart due to the heat........bouncing muffler always hitting the underside or the street.......wish I still had it though

Oh mine had many electrical problems and fires also........great first car!!

there is a guy who runs around where i live with one that looks just like that. It is loud as hell! Pretty sweet...

I've got an Opel GT, which I'm slowly converting to electric. They're fun cars, but there are some tricks.

Late ones are better, I think 72 and up.. The early ones have weaker rear wheel bearings and last I checked the early bearings were not available. I ended up getting a late rear end and transplanting because it's gonna weigh around 3000 lbs with batteries. Late ones also have pop-out opening rear windows, which is kinda nice.

The u-joints are insterted into the driveline at the factory and are locked in with some kind of incjected plastic. I took mine to a driveline shop and they said "uh, sorry.. can't fix that". They eventually found me a good used driveline. When the used ones dry up, custom will probably be the only option.

There's a rubber donut that supports the shaft inside the torque tube.. hard to get to, and when they fail they make a terrible racket.

The main parts sources I know of are Opels Unlimited (they recently had a WCC-like event for opels) and Opel GT Source. There is also a classicopels yahoo group.

That said, I don't think I'd reccomend using one as a daily driver... despite the fact that I intend to use my electric one as shared daily driver use. (all of my cars are daily drivers, or will be someday, except the van)

Have you considered datsun Z cars? Cheap and plentiful, yet fun.

I'd get an old Bronco, Scout, or Landcruiser. You can go to Home Depot with them, drive in the snow, and they are classic.

Of course, gas is another story. My Scout gets about 9 MPG, but theres always megasquirt.

or along those lines...one of those old school aluminum bodied land rovers. Love those things.

Z cars are a great option too. We have a non-operational 71 240Z sitting in the garage that my dad bought new. Its only non-operational because it got hit by a Frito Lay Truck (loooong story).

I grew up riding in the car. Still runs and the only thing that ever gave us trouble was the tranny. Fun engine...

86 - 88 VW syncro wagen

El CaMINO........

I guess it depends on how classic you want to go. As much as I love BMW 2002s I think you'd kill one in short order with northeast winter driving. For a BMW, an '84 to '91 2nd generation 3 series would be much more reliable if you could find a clean one. They are also cheap. A clean one usually goes for no more than $4K. Most often they are selling for $2-3K.