Pros and cons of a 34 year old daily driver

So, the cons first. 

Steering wheel rim is a bit skinny. 

I kinda miss the auto down feature on the power windows.

Blower motor is louder than newer stuff.

Parts can be an issue.  More on this later.

Pluses:  

Sub $100 15 inch tires.

Thin doors for more interior space.

A wee bit of turbo lag, just to remind you that you have a turbo.

Straight up rear wheel drive, not an ounce of torque steer.

I'm under $1000 so far.  Refinished headliner and a new windshield, I'm still under $2k.  Sadly, I fear I may paint the roof while it's apart because the clear coat is all gone, and I pay people for paint...

So, back to the con about parts.  I need the lid for the center console, and the trim around the windshield,  which is stainless and rubber, and has a bunch of sun beaten rubber.

I would happily mail somebody a shiny Canadian fifty dollar bill if they could find me a black console lid from a junkyard, and a nice brown c note for a console lid and the six pieces of black (not chrome) windshield trim with decent rubber.  Plus shipping.

FWIW, my 1988 Subaru had auto-down windows

My 33 year old Saab has an auto-down driver window.  Just to put another score on the board.

Nice Volvo.  

My daily is currently a 1997 Jetta.  Before that my daily was a 1985 GTi.

I like old cars.  They are cheap and cheap to fix.

I wish you good luck finding your parts.

And for the record, both of the VWs have manual windows.

Up until 2003 I was commuting in 25-30 year old cars.

Usually lots of Volvos at my local yards and I may go there this weekend. Needs specifics on the car and interchanges if any. Pic of the lid for the center console would be nice too.

In reply to L5wolvesf :

83 to 89 740/760.  Black.  They are all the same.  Held on to the hinges with two Phillips head screws.

A couple of guys at work commute/daily 1990s cars. One is a '91 Camry, another has a '92 GS300, and there are two guys with mid 90s Integras.

My Tacoma turned 20 this year and still runs great but needs a complete exhaust.

My "daily"  will be a 51 year old Jaguar XJ12 sedan.   Needs a fresh coat of paint I'll do myself.  Plus an engine swap from a 6-12.  Oh the rubber gaskets around the windshield and back glass needs replacement.   
  But it's 21 years newer than my other driver an MGTD 

I have 1988 and 1986 model year cars in my garage.  Ultimately it will come down to parts availability before I'm forced to upgrade.

(I'm glad they don't have auto down windows.    I like to drive with the window partially open, whenever I get in a newer car that has that feature it takes forever to get the darn thing to stop mid way.)

Some old cars just feel more modern than others. I daily drove my 79 Mercedes for a while and it was great. Felt like a modern car except the lack of AC. Same with the 67 Volvo Amazon  that my friend Daily'd for a while. It really felt like a new(er) car. My 74 Beetle... not so much.

Another pro/con depending on perspective is the attention from others, and not blending in.

If I dont count my wifes mom mobile (that I never drive), I dont own a vehicle built in this millennia. Lets me real, there are no cons to a 30 year old daily relative to  the cons of a new car. Is parts availability really any better for something newer? Weve been waiting for over a month for a hatch module for a 2 year old jeep.

There is one big con: safety. Yes it's a Volvo, but safety has come a long way since the 80's. 

In reply to maschinenbau :

Yah but you can actually see out of an old car, so im less likely to run into something obstructed by a 9 foot wide a pillar.

That's a nice ride! Def a bonus for being in it under $2k. 

You also forgot a Pro in that it's paid for. I like having that argument with my friends who boast about their EV charging costs while making $500-1000 car payments. 

I'm dailying my 01 Sequoia at the moment. Pros are that it's paid for, it's reliable, easy to work on, etc. Cons - Toyota nor the aftermarket makes some critical replacement parts that are prone to failure, such as front door latches (every junkyard I've been to is wiped clean on the Sequoia/Tundras). And if they do make a replacement part that is prone to failure, it's very costly. 

At some point you hit that "if it was gonna break, it would have by now" level of dysfunction. I can overlook dead power windows if the AC works. I can overlook cruddy interior bits if the radio works. My DD is currently a 22 year old BMW that seems to have hit its stride. My only concerns about going too far back in years is I seem to attract drunk suicidal morons that hit my cars head-on. For that I prefer something with an airbag at least.

maschinenbau said:

There is one big con: safety. Yes it's a Volvo, but safety has come a long way since the 80's. 

I've been driving for 47 years now, without running into anybody.

Plus, the center pad on the steering wheel is about the size of an airbag, anyway.

I think I'd feel weird daily driving something from this century. Oh, I take that back. Sometimes it's nice to hop in my "new" car. The '03.

In reply to slefain :

I just drove one of these.

No way could I tolerate driving something with this many interior rattles.  

Opti said:

In reply to maschinenbau :

Yah but you can actually see out of an old car, so im less likely to run into something obstructed by a 9 foot wide a pillar.

That is one of the things that scares me about SUVs.  I get in them and they have sun shades over the driver window, cell phone holder on the dash, acres of kitschy crap hanging from the mirror, etc. with the end result is that your view outward is a narrow slit.

My takeaway is that the people driving them do not give a E36 M3 if they hit anything.

In reply to Pete. (l33t FS) :

Exactly. Of course you can see great out of a 80's tin can. And you are probably a great driver. Everyone else though...

That said, I DD a Miata. These are just the pros and cons that were asked for.

In reply to Pete. (l33t FS)

Don't worry, with a 3000GT the rattles let you know it is still running. When the rattles stop is when you get concerned.

Pro: Old cars have buttons and knobs. If I cant adjust a crucial setting with a quick glance while driving, just throw the whole car away.

I had to google how to adjust a headrest independent of the rest of the seat adjustments (it sets height automatically as you adjust  the rest of the seat) on an 07 Lexus GS the other day.

PS: if google leads any poor souls here with the same problem, to save them the same rage i felt, there is a hidden button under the upholstery on the drivers seat just towards the center of the car from the headrest, push it and you can manually move the headrest.

Pete. (l33t FS) said:

Opti said:

In reply to maschinenbau :

Yah but you can actually see out of an old car, so im less likely to run into something obstructed by a 9 foot wide a pillar.

That is one of the things that scares me about SUVs.  I get in them and they have sun shades over the driver window, cell phone holder on the dash, acres of kitschy crap hanging from the mirror, etc. with the end result is that your view outward is a narrow slit.

My takeaway is that the people driving them do not give a E36 M3 if they hit anything.

What about Jeeple and their 9000 rubber ducks on the dash, $40k and 1200lbs extra of never used overlanding/offroad equipment, along with cellphone/tablet holders, and so on?