Old (real old) daily driver

Although not a 2 door, its still a '57 Chevy and a driven year round?:

https://minneapolis.craigslist.org/csw/cto/5224787014.html

Ive seen a late 40s Cadillac driven around here as a dd here which is the oldest Ive seen still in regular use.

id never let it see snow again, but i love wagons. In theory with decent tires it should be a great daily all year. There simple cars originally designed for all year driving.

Hey, I want that.

I daily my 64 when it's not broken.

Well it doesn't have AC but that might not be a big problem where you are.

The only real problem with DDing it is that it probably can't stop worth a damn, a car that age probably has drums all-around and the brakes are unboosted, and of course is even heavier than today's street-going APCs. If a modern car - especially a high-end German one - slams the brakes in front of you and you didn't allow enough following distance, there will be nothing you can do.

Drum brakes that are properly set up should still work pretty well, the big problem is fade from repeated use - not the best for mountainous areas. However, the car in the ad is up by Fargo, ND...no mountains (or even small hills) to worry about there. Also, a '57 Chevy wagon had a curb weight of only around 3500 lbs, so they were lighter than most cars on the road today.

It's not clear if the car is in Minnesota or North Dakota (the ad is from a small town on the MN side of the border, but the car has ND plates). I don't think North Dakota uses as much salt on the roads in the winter which is better for old cars. Even if they do, it stays cold enough up there that the salt doesn't have as much effect.

As for old daily drivers, I worked with a guy in the late 1970s who drove a Model T truck year around. In Minneapolis. He was pretty hard core.

This is one of our customers daily driver. Original owner with a little over 70K on the clock.

While we are repairing it he drives a late model Hyundai Genisis that he hates. i guess it has too many creature comforts, like good brakes...

I personally wouldn't daily drive it because of no crumple zones, no seat belts, steering column may not be collapsible, etc. I would drive it on the weekends, though, after adding seatbelts.

In reply to Mr_Clutch42:

Sounds more like something mrsclutch42 would say

I daily my 78 from april to october unless its broke. Even haul my kids in it. They love the lapbelt only.

The 64 has a javelin steering column. Seat belts, and big discs.

Weighs 3400lbs according to the scale at the dump. Its also low enough that the frame will go under whatever the impact is with, effectively making the whole body and drivetrain a crumple zone.

Most of us that daily the old stuff know the risk, and own it.

I love it. People that drive cool cars instead of letting them waste away in a garage are OK in my book.

I daily a motorcycle. I am the crumple zone.

Back in the nineties I used to see an old dude driving what I'm pretty sure ws a model A all the time. One time I saw it parked in a driveway next to a 914. Interesting stablemates to say the least.

Edit: I should add that the Ford did not look like a show car, it had patina long before it was cool.

You really need to know what you're doing to frequently drive a car like that, you can't get any parts or supplies for cars that old through normal sources, and it was well before the internet was there to help.

i've driven my 54 belair in sub 30* weather. it makes me appreciate the insulation and climate systems of stuff newer than the 50's.

If I could drive my 28' 4 or 5 days a week then that would be cake. Of course the coldest it gets here is in the 60's on average, could not pay me to drive a car that old in the snow.

The biggest shocker in my opinion is not so much the age of the car, but seeing snow on it and knowing how destructive road salt is to old vehicles. As earlier stated NoDak doesn't use much, if any salt on the roads (why can't Mn be that way?).

You warm weather climate folks are not hindered by nasty snow,ice, and road salt like some of us are. And yes, someday I will move from the land of 10,000 taxes for a warmer more car friendly climate.

Up until about 10 years ago a local restaurant owner daily drove a Ferrari Super America. He rarely washed it and it looked kind of beat down but it got him to work every day for years. And there is another local who still drives her 57 chev that she bought new.

My dad daily drives his, granted he doesn't have to drive a lot now that he is retired but it is his main ride.

'57 w/25k original miles, original paint, motor etc etc

Love that he still rocks it. Would seem to be a treat deal on a survivor even if you have 5k decrustifying it.

the shame of the matter is.. the 4 doors and wagons will never command the prices of the 2 doors.

That would be a lot of fun to see on a regular basis.

Compared to new cars, I just don't like the way old cars drive.

In reply to iceracer:

And I am completely the opposite.

In reply to GameboyRMH:

Oh my, drum brakes, how did we survive all those years with drum brakes, manual steering, skinny bias ply tires, windows, door locks, seat adjusters, the list goes on. Both my 65 GTO and 68 GTO convertible had drums. We adapted