A very different 'what car' thread

So I am actually making progress with the truck and it looks like 2014 may be its final year apart. Add that to the kids beginning homeschool in the fall (which means many more dollars staying home with them) and we are getting somewhere.

I told Tunawife a while back that if she homeschooled the kids she would have to be compensated somehow. I wanted the next project car to be something for her.

Easy enough, right? Buy something with less rust than the truck had, restore/re-shine and go. I could even afford more than the $1400 buy-in that the truck was so I could restore it in a few months instead of a few years.

So we bandied it about over the past few years or so, and finally it's all real. I brought everyone to one of the car shows here and told her to pick out some ideas.

She picked this.

I gently explained their cost. I explained that a basketcase rusty tub with no engine and a VIN is worth more than the minivan was when new. It doesn't matter. I knew she liked 911s, but crap, that's not in the cards.

I don't like traditional 'kit cars', but the idea of building a Midlana and stuffing it beneath replica bodywork would be OK. I could handle it, and scrounging could get it into 'affordable' territory.

She doesn't like that idea. She likes originality. A lot. She doesn't like that I shaved the drip rails on the truck, and that the color I want to use is from 1971 instead of 1972. Really.

So, if it were me, I'd pick this

But she said that she'd have to think about it.

So, drop top, sporty classic car with a (well) sub 10k buy-in that won't require too many serious changes from stock to keep running (rewiring it would be OK, an engine swap would not).

This is far out in the future, and may never ever happen. But it's fun. Post a glam pic with your suggestion.

Oh, and Tunawife hates livery and stickers and numbers, so get a clean example for the pic.

In reply to tuna55:

Whatever "this" was doesn't actually link to a picture. Assume it is a 911 of some type?

Sorry, don't know how to hotlink.... Yet.

How about an MGB?

Weird question... Is this the type of compensation that she wants?

My wife races with me in crappy car races. We even use her car to do it. I know she enjoys it. However, I sometimes feel she goes to these races because she knows I like it.

Just a thought, only you and her know how she really feels.

Rob R.

In reply to maj75:

I'll be the first to say it: Miata

No possible excuse if that Datsun is a possiblilty. A miata is only a million times more reliable, cheaper parts, unlimited modification potential and handles much better. Has a good top, a real trunk and you can get a stripped version or one with all the power features.

What's not to like?

maj75 wrote: In reply to tuna55: Whatever "this" was doesn't actually link to a picture. Assume it is a 911 of some type?

+1. I get a red X.

If wife wants a 911 and you can afford it, then get her a 911. If you can't afford a 911, then ask her to pick a cheaper option. Your opinion of said car is not important.

Yeah, she likes cars for originality and classic reasons.

The hotlink works for me. Odd. Try this one.

If she's got her heart set of that, your options are kit car or bank robbery. Any chance an old VW Bug convertible would scratch the same itch?

Otherwise MG/Miata.

Yeah... I see your dilemma... a 356 roadster would cost more than my house. Even decent kits aren't cheap. Still... if it's to be her car, she might be enthused about helping you build a kit?

Beetle convertible?

In reply to Ian F: Great minds . . .

She doesn't want a kit, or a replica, or a shell that I found for free in a yard over a Midlana frame that I build in one night for $0.43 that has passed every crash test and emissions test in the world. She really likes originality. Unfortunately, other 356 fans who like originality have many thousands of times more dollars than we do.

I was thinking this

Especially since it's pretty much the exact same car.

What does a Tunakid go for on the black market?

RealMiniDriver wrote: What does a Tunakid go for on the black market?

I could get you a replica for a few hundred grand

Fiat 124 Spider. Better driver in almost every way than an MGB and the drivetrain is fairly stout, the chassis is fairly simple and they rust just as bad as a MGB.

They are still available on the WestCoast or the desert and could be driven home if the right one is found,making for a fun vacation for you and the wife.

tuna55 wrote: I was thinking this Especially since it's pretty much the exact same car.

If she likes it, that's a valid alternative. Bear in mind Ghias are actually heavier (and therefore slower) than Beetles. But they do look nicer.

Ian F wrote:

tuna55 wrote: I was thinking this Especially since it's pretty much the exact same car.

If she likes it, that's a valid alternative. Bear in mind Ghias are actually heavier (and therefore slower) than Beetles. But they do look nicer.

sweet idea

I'll third the Ghia.

If she's not attached to the lowlight (pre 60) you could save even more money. 1 year makes a large difference in price with these guys.

As for the power, you won't be putting your wife in a 1200cc VW and expect her to be happy about it. Fortunately ACVW's are like lego's and it more than likely will already have a variant of a 1500/1600cc motor in it already.

German? Check.

Gorgeous body? Check.

Personality and fun to drive? Check.

To me it's the logical alternative to a 911 that you (or me) could afford.

tuna55 wrote: I was thinking this Especially since it's pretty much the exact same car.

I was actually going to suggest this when I saw the 356 Spider but before seeing your post. I think one of these would scratch every itch the 356 gives her. They're beautiful in person and in photos. They're not cheap at this point but they're so much more affordable than a 356 it's funny. Don't tell her it's a VW until after she says she likes it.

Sunbeam tiger

or Triumph TR6

I'm going to say.... Hudson Nash Metropolitan with MG carb, trans and rearend. at least rearend... to motivate above our 62mph top speed.

Thats the car my wife picked.... and she even thinks the idea of a home-made el camino is cool. However she thinks too much hp is stupid and has hated my truck ever since she spun it out trying to pull it into the garage.

My friends have access to nearly every Met on the road in the US. They come up for sale all the time in any condition you can imagine in a wide range of prices, mine was $500. I have several dollars in engine and brakes but mostly just time in welding and body work.

Tell her she is being a woman (very unreasonable ) and she will have to give you her number 2 or 3 choice. Or you two could play the powerball every other month if you're feeling lucky.

Hopefully she likes one of these other suggestions, like the Ghia, Fiat 124 Spyder, and the Sunbeam Tiger (my favorite).

Love the Ghia, but if she like originality (heck even Porsche club people accept Speedster replicas) then how will she feel about a lego 1600 engine in a Ghia.

I'm going out on a limb here. It's still a 2 seat 'Vert, it's got a cheap buy in, but it has style and luxury by the sack full. An XJS Convertible.

Aren't sunbeam tigers $50k? The 4 cylinder ones aren't as bad though. I would add spitfire, Alfa spider and maybe corvair to the list of possibilities too.

I'll put a vote in for the Fiat 124. Sub $10k would buy you the nicest, fully restored car you could find...with change to spare. Lots of support for the car too.

Otherwise, well, uh...Miata?

This?

It is still a Porsche.