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An old car has a certain mystique, a charm that’s tough to capture. It’s about chrome and steel instead of cup holders and plastic. It’s the automotive equivalent of your favorite jeans. Nothing smells like an old car on a rainy day.
Old cars can also be a pain in ass, and this is coming from a guy who owns a few cars that predate the 1976 Olympics. You don’t always buy an old car for the measured performance, though, you buy it for the experience. A Nissan Versa can probably roll my Mini Cooper–yes, I own one of the originals designed by Sir Alec Issigonis–but which one turns more heads or transforms every outing into an adventure?
In honor of our annual old-school issue, here are a few vintage favorites that can supply nostalgia to those who grew up with fuel injection and radial tires. Not only are they relatively easy to care and feed for, but prices are currently rather attractive.
MGB: It’s not the first, the fastest or the freshest, but the MGB is the Miata of the classic sports car world. British Leyland built a zillion of them, and you can still find them for fair money–figure $5000 or so buys a pretty decent example.
The earlier, chrome-bumper cars get the most attention, but the rubber-bumper examples still capture the same magic. Some say these later cars make better daily drivers, too. A stock Miata may well outrun an unmodded MGB, but the B offers extra character: a banjo steering wheel, mini tail fins and those timeless Smiths gauges.
VW Rabbit: When I bought my ’84 Rabbit GTI back in the day, it was just an old car ripe for fixing up. Today, I’d put it down as a bona fide classic–one worth preserving, in fact. It helped usher in the hot-hatch era of the ’80s and ’90s, while the Giugiaro-designed shape has aged well.
Adam Saal, PR man for several road racing teams, drives a clean diesel Rabbit. When I encountered it in the media parking lot at Daytona International Speedway, I had to stop and take some photos.
Don’t be deterred by the fact that the GTI makes less than a hundred horsepower in stock form. The close-ratio gearbox, 60-series tires and grippy buckets were state of the art back then. Grab some aviators and relive a simpler time.
C3 Corvette: I was never a huge fan of the late C3 Corvettes until a few weeks ago when I jokingly asked J.G. if we should buy a ’78 Pace Car or an ’82 Special Edition. In the Corvette world, these aren’t exactly coveted models. By then the C3 had become a caricature of its former self: not much power, disco-tastic interiors, and a seriously outdated chassis. By the end of the model run, the Corvette didn’t even come with a stick shift.
Blame “Corvette Summer” for this one, but that shape is sucking us in. Don’t forget, I’m talking about two nerds who grew up on a steady diet of “Miami Vice” and “Magnum, P.I.” Super bonus: I can finally go down to the flea market and buy that “Wrap your ass in fiberglass” T-shirt.
American Cruiser: Until recently, every car I have ever owned has sported a stick shift, low-profile tires and grippy bucket seats. Last summer I decided to look for a cruiser, and I had just three criteria: V8 engine, chrome bumpers and automatic on the column. I never thought that a 1975 Pontiac Catalina Safari could turn so many heads, but it does. And that happens everywhere, from the supermarket to Road Atlanta.
Here’s the real kicker: I love driving this sled. It’s comfy, relaxed and just eats up the miles. And when it needed an alternator, I was only about $69 poorer.
Vintage Pony Car: A race-ready Shelby GT350R recently fetched nearly $1 million. For a couple grand, you can still pick up a pedestrian Camaro, Mustang or Firebird. We’re talking a driver-level car here–something you can enjoy with friends and family, fix without a scan-tool, and use to turn some heads.
Looking for an even better pony car deal? Don’t forget about the Mopars.
Air-Cooled Porsche 911: From its introduction for the 1965 model year until the beginning of 1998, the Porsche 911 evolved for the better. The early, long-hood cars can now fetch some big bucks, but the ’70s and ’80s examples offer a very similar driving experience for a more attractive premium.
The pedals are still hinged from the floor, that flat-six out back produces a most intoxicating note–and then there’s the view over those famed fenders. Need more excuses? How about telepathic steering, excellent visibility in all directions and, if you shop right, those iconic Fuchs wheels. Whenever I drive my ’84 Carrera, yeah, I feel a little like I’m at Le Mans.
Comments
maj75
HalfDork
6/15/18 9:49 a.m.
Bought an ‘84 GTI new. White with the red interior. I had always had muscle cars. What an eye opener. Would love to have that car again but they are rare as chicken’s teeth. I can’t remember the last time I saw a decent one. Engine swaps make it even better I hear.
Currently own a C3, a ‘69 427 390hp 4 speed with factory air. Not quite on the bargain side of the scale. Later model “rubber bumper” cars are less money however. Don’t be fooled by their rust impervious bodies. Underneath that fiberglass is an unpainted steel skeleton and steel frame. Unseen rust has turned many of these cars in Northern areas into yard ornaments.
Air cooled Porsche is one I would love to add to my resume, but their prices have hit the stratosphere. I mean the worst rusty piece of scrap with no drivetrain is 5 figures. I think their time as reasonable classics has passed. They require deep pockets and a restoration would cost you more than an early C3.
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