Itching to buy an older car. What would you do?

Well my car adhd strikes again.I bought a really nice 2013 Volvo C30 which I really like, its clean fast and just damn well designed interior and comfortable as hell.. BUT I don't have a work commute and don't really drive it much, matter of fact girlfriend drives it more than me. I bought it really to travel in it but I've changed me mind about wanting to drive to places as driving around in the south sorta sucks..

I'm getting a bit older and at this point I sort of want to take advantage of the lifestyle i have which allows me to drive around in something that might not run all the time. The volvo is valued at $20k and I owe $10k. I was thinking of selling it and just taking $4k and buying something from the 80s and driving it around until I can't keep it on the road or until my ADHD kicks in and sell it. Doing this is expensive with new cars as I found out with my fiat 500 turbo then Volvo c30.

But logically I'm thinking I have a great new car. My monthly payments are $200 and I could just chill with that.. I've always wanted to drive around in a 80s Malibu with a 350 though..

The key to life with an older car is to have an additional, reliable, newer daily driver.
Keep the Volvo. Add in something else that you might keep short term.

I can't really think of a situation where I will absolutely need a car. At least for the next two years. There's always uber or my bike. Maybe I'm being naïve though and when its raining and I need some eggs or toilter paper and my 30 year old car isn't running I'll regret this. Haha

If i kept the Volvo it would become my girlfriends car real fast haha

Sounds like she needs her own Uber account

Come on up to Pungo for our first auto-x event and co-drive my Mazda2 next Sunday.

It's about the most modern "80s-90s" feeling car you'll get. And dead nuts reliable, easy to work on too.

The used market for them is cheap too. I've been watching dealer auction prices on them lately for 70-80k mile examples sell for 5-7k.

The idea of having no car does not compute with me but I suspect our situations are different. I live in a small town so travel is required for more services but also I suspect it is a generational difference where I am not willing to rely on others for my freedom and movement. But, I respect your situation is different than mine has ever been.

As for the older car and AADD. Have you considered buying something and raising it's value over your ownership? This raise in value could be body work or mechanical work but more I suspect the easier route is better marketing.
What I mean here is to buy something off a poorly worded or generally poorly done CL ad. As a further example you might find that getting rid of some crappy aftermarket rims and adding in some more period correct or more OEM wheels can really change the overall car and possible increase it's value. Add to this a good wash/wax and well documented photos in a new CL ad.
This route can give you a car that you play with for a while and then sell at a little gain. Even if you sell the car at a little loss you might find that for an example of $1k loss you had a fun car for a year or a real cost of less than $100 per month while you owned it and had fun with it.

Fly to California and drive a muscle car back.

Upon returning home, if you like the muscle car, sell volvo. If you do not still like the muscle car, sell it for what would be a likely profit.

I like Robbies idea, but there's another scenario where said muscle dies half way across country and you become backwoods survivalist.

JohnRW1621 wrote: The key to life with an older car is to have another older car as a spare.

FTFY.

You NEED an older american v8. El camino, malibu, whatever. We know where your heart is and although you wanted to try to new fangled turbo stuff but i have a feeling once you find a good older american car your heart will finally be at rest and happy. Torque and v8 noises tickles a fancy no imported inline turbo can match. Luckily your in the south and dont HAVE to fly out west to find something rust free just go further south! but they do have good pickins out west

El camino would be awesome..

I would even puts around in something like this - https://charlotte.craigslist.org/cto/5483593955.html

In reply to Coldsnap:

For a week until you try to sell it! Promise me this and repeat after me: "i will not buy another car unless it has 8 american cylinders"

JohnRW1621 wrote: As for the older car and AADD. Have you considered buying something and raising it's value over your ownership? This raise in value could be body work or mechanical work but more I suspect the easier route is better marketing. What I mean here is to buy something off a poorly worded or generally poorly done CL ad. As a further example you might find that getting rid of some crappy aftermarket rims and adding in some more period correct or more OEM wheels can really change the overall car and possible increase it's value. Add to this a good wash/wax and well documented photos in a new CL ad. This route can give you a car that you play with for a while and then sell at a little gain. Even if you sell the car at a little loss you might find that for an example of $1k loss you had a fun car for a year or a real cost of less than $100 per month while you owned it and had fun with it.

Listen to this man. You need to be savy enough to buy cars with a following and know enough to not buy a lemon, but this is a good way to enjoy the classic car hobby without spending much money.

just do it if that's what you want to do. during the summer, i drive my rusty POS 86 Camaro more than anything else and really only park it in the winter because it sucks in the snow. if the 5 speed that i'm putting in it now holds up to the ~350hp 355 under the hood, it will be almost impossible to make me want to drive anything else.

my "reliable late model" vehicles are my 99 Saturn and 97 Chevy K1500 truck.

As a guy who dailys a 78 all summer with alot of hooning, there so much fun, my newest vehicle is an 89 and i got it purely because i needed a trucj and couldnt find a 75-79 in my price range!

My round trip a day is only 4 miles so much like you i can get by with no car if needed. Im all for saving an old car and driving it. Adding a good rear axle with a limited slip is the best improvement you can make!

Ok consider it done.. Hmm what's from the late 70s / early 80s that's easy to come by, fun, and maybe manual.

Not exact to your request but I think Fiero are cheap but headed to increase in price in V6, stock configuration.

More exact to your question... Nova, Maverick, GM G-body, F-body, Fox body.

I've been looking at trucks / broncos too. Something I like about a shortbed or a smaller bronco

I want a Malibu G body so damn bad, but dunno if they are too expensive now. like this a dream -

http://tricities.craigslist.org/cto/5498818851.html

Search for that G body that is not quite right or the seller doesn't know.

G body gm, foxbody ford. Both have huge aftermarkets and easy to find. The early 80s f150 and c10s are also getting popular. 2wd standard cab short box trucks being most desirable.

Ohh yeah and budget a bit for parts. My wagon has only required about 150 in maintnenc but adding a few fun mods required a bit more.

You don't need one $4,0000 car, you need two $2,000 cars. Or one car and one truck. Or a $1k truck and $3k car. Or a $500 van and a $3500 convertible.
I play this game in my head all the time.

You want a Cutlass so what is the fringe offering of that?

Sample: https://tricities.craigslist.org/cto/5499089571.html

Cheaper and obtainable. Ditch those wires and add in something that would look right on a Cutlass of the same era. Essentially make a large Cutlass.

https://knoxville.craigslist.org/cto/5489568215.html

JohnRW1621 wrote: https://knoxville.craigslist.org/cto/5489568215.html

mmmmm I like. I'd take a Malibu or a nova over a cutlass, just prefer the way those look .