Story by Carl Heideman • Photography by David S. Wallens
Let’s say that you have decided to make a piece of classic machinery your usual ride—rain or shine, hot or cold, in sickness or in health. Overall, it’s a simple proposition. Back when they were new, most classics were intended to be used as daily transportation on one level or another. …
I've never had a new car.
I bought a few in the 3-5 yr old range.... Mini van, Chevy G10 van.
All the rest (I'm 66) have been 5-15 yrs old.
All daily drivers. As an example, I have 91, 99. 00 BMWs and a 99 F250 now on the road daily.
Breakdowns ruin any fun I might have driving these cars, so reliability is #1 for me. That means replacing things before they break. Rubber parts are my pet peave....brake lines, fuel lines , coolant, belts....and seals in pumps, icv's, hydraulic parts.
I like to pull the drive train, replace all routine wear items at once, while it's easy to get to them....not on the side of the road. I do my research regarding known weaknesses, and fix them before they break. I can then start the 10 yr/ 120K clock and RARELY have unscheduled repairs.
BTW, I don't kid myself that cheap parts save money. For me, time is the most expensive part.
The last time I had a job with a daily commute, my daily commuter was a 25-year-old Alfa Spider. Still have the Spider, though I've been a full-time telecommuter since 2001.
Still, I was on the way to work one morning and got stuck (in Silicon Valley traffic) behind a beige Corolla. The left lane opened up, so I popped over.
A mile or so later a *different* beige Corolla -- a slightly more green version of beige -- pulled into my lane.
"How sad it must be," I thought, "to see another car just like yours but in a different color."
About a mile after THAT, I looked to my right as I reached the merge lane for an onramp. What to my wondering eyes did appear but another stainless-steel bumpered Alfa Romeo Spider, coda tronca like mine, but in deep navy blue (my Spider -- seen in my profile pic, because of COURSE it is -- was originally Verde Pino but was repainted a Jaguar BRG by a previous owner, a slightly darker green than the Farina green).
We were immediately bonded, with grins, waves, thumbs-ups, and headlight flashes. We both downshifted to get the Alfa Song going (as well as we could in heavy 45-mph Silicon Valley traffic), and waved when I pulled off at work a few miles later.
Moral: how sad it is to see another car like yours but in a different color is entirely dependent on how sad the car is in the first place.
I drove an old British car of one sort or another for most of my life as a daily driver. MGA, MGC, TR3, Jensen Interceptors, CV8, Riley 1.5, Wolseley 6/99, Jag Mk 2 and Mk 9, and more recently I branched out - 88 Fiero GT, Solstice coupe and Z4M coupe. All have been fine and reliable if maintained properly.
Why pay a premium for a new car that depreciates instantly as you drive it off the lot?
And for too many old car owners, 'maintenance' consists of a band-aid fix for whatever happens to be malfunctioning at the time and then waiting for something else to break instead of going through the whole car and fool proofing it properly.
Great comments. I have driven old cars cross country and have had very little trouble.
I've driven an Alfa GTV6, a Jag XJS, several Fiat Spiders, and other older cars as daily drivers. As an east coast resident, someone who until recently went to work in an office in something other than jeans and a tee shirt, and now well into middle age, air conditioning is a must. The Jag and the Alfa, yes, they had AC, most older British cars, not likely.
In the sidebar Carl Heideman mentions not having an alternative to the AM radio for his 66 Beetle. I don't know if you all are aware of Out Of Sight Audio (outofsightaudio.com) but they make a bluetooth receiver/amp that operates on 6-24 volts, positive or negative ground. It has no controls and is designed to be installed "out of sight". It has a 2 channel output so you do have to install two speakers somewhere (Retrosound makes a dual voice coil 5.25" stereo speaker in a single speaker frame). When you power it up, it connects to your phone and you can play any music from your phone and that is where you control the volume. I have one in my 1960 MGA with the Retrosound speaker and it is a great solution.
Just chiming in that you can indeed live with a classic. My first car was a 1967 MGBGT hand me down from my sister. 54k miles on a primrose model with overdrive (luxury!). I only drove it to 184K miles before having an accident that totaled it.
I changed the brakes pads on Beach St in Daytona when they started squeaking. I pushed started it a few times when I had to. Did the rings, bearings, and valve job at 125K with my dad learning many skills from him that I still use today. Replaced the layshaft and needle bearings along with 1st and second gear somewhere along the way. Rebuilt the generator, replaced voltage regulator. New throttle shafts for the SUs. Replaced several rear wheel cylinders. All the rest was very basic maintenace.
For the driving pleasure and basic transportation, it was a wonderful. Cheap, stone simple and never, ever left me stranded...... and so cool for a young guy....
I still drive classics today and think nothing of putting them on the road for 100+ mile trips. In fact, my bugeye and I make the same trip depicted in this article from time to time out of Ormond FL.
Tony W
New Smyrna Beach, FL
69 Lotus Elan S4SE
69 Lotus Europa S2
60 Austin Healey Bugeyed Sprite
74 Suzuki Titan T500 2-stroke
I've just bought an 18-year old Miata with low mileage as a 'collector' type of car. I do plan to use it for trips to car events. This article and the comments are encouraging.
Nov 19 2023, about 10 years ago I found a Volvo 122s with 44k on the speedo, it needed brake work and tires a tune up and I located some recaro's. The original seats were split at the seams. I drove it semi regularly , and then got a street performance cam ,ported and polished the head. Added double valve springs a header ,3 inch exhaust and some 2 inch lowering springs. Some wheel spacer for Fuchs wheels staggered tires 205 rear 195 front. I never touched the paint. Changed the steering wheel ,added a school bus stop light for a third brake light and installed it on the rear package shelf behind my head . Added some triumph giant velocity stacks on the SU's built some cylindrical foam air cleaners .installed an am fm radio and some driving lights. I drive it almost every day except during or after snow( mag chloride ) the BMW gets that duty. It so fun to drive, keeps up with modern traffic but has charm. It can be done but pick a solid ,reliable platform.
My 1966 Ford Falcon could easily be a daily driver. As simple as a rock, built of parts you can find almost anywhere. Comfortable, roomy yet not too big. The 200 six is...adequate. The impending 302 swap will make it much easier to merge into highway traffic and climb hills. No power anything to break or leak. Not a sports car, but with a big front sway bar it will do what you ask of it.
Imported cars of the period were much more finnicky, made of less durable materials in many cases and parts aren't typically behind the counter at Autozone. I've done my time with British and Italian sports cars and am enjoying the simple engineering of the Made In USA Ford.
Okay, so I'm retired and I don't have to drive my classic car everyday, but I almost always do. It's been driven in the rain, (often), snow, (occasionally), and heat, (all this summer). And, it's a hundred year old driver quality car. Granted, we own a former race team and machine shop, but we still have to make and adapt a lot of parts to keep these on the road, (we have two). What's the car I drive daily? A 1924 BSA Model 10 Light Car. It was built as an economical cheap daily driver in 1924, so why not today? If it's not worth a million dollars, drive the thing! --Dr. P.L., Southington, Ohio
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