What car? Vintage sedan/coupe

mad_machine wrote: I think with the saab 99.. the later 900 engine will fit for more reliability and power

I don't think the 99 qualifies as "midsize."

not today.. not by a long shot.. but it is only a little shorter (in the nose) than the Classic 900. So it is 3 series sized, not 5er.. but still remarkibly roomy inside

Datsun 810. 240Z under the skin, but you'll need to actually find one. We had one when I was a teenager...last I heard it had something like 280k miles and was still going strong.

http://bham.craigslist.org/cto/3492771199.html

'78 810 77k miles, $1,200

Just leaving this here...

In reply to racerdave600:

810s are great cars, but that brings up the size thing again. If a SAAB 99/C900 isn't big enough, would the 810 be any better?

I'll admit that the ad you posted up had me interested, tho. And the previous pix. I didn't even know there was ever an 810 coupe!

EDIT: Was the 710 the coupe version of the 810? I don't know what these cars were called in Japan, I don't know if they're just two different parts of the same model in the home market..

710 total different animal than 810. coupes are really rare any 810 is rare anymore. i wish that one listed was closer because there is money to be made on that car. i know where there is a grille and bumper for the car

friedgreencorrado wrote: In reply to racerdave600: 810s are great cars, but that brings up the size thing again. If a SAAB 99/C900 isn't big enough, would the 810 be any better? I'll admit that the ad you posted up had me interested, tho. And the previous pix. I didn't even know there was ever an 810 coupe! EDIT: Was the 710 the coupe version of the 810? I don't know what these cars were called in Japan, I don't know if they're just two different parts of the same model in the home market..

810's are substantially larger than the 99, since we had it when I was in HS, I can attest to the interior size.

As for location, it's close enough the OP to tempt him though!

racerdave600 wrote: 810's are substantially larger than the 99.

Thanks. It's been so long since I've seen one that I really didn't remember.

93EX, sounds like "maybe Japanese" is a path worth exploring.

Aside to cutter67: thanks, man. All I know about 710s is that they were good in SCCA BSedan.

racerdave600 wrote:

^THIS! I followed this guys build thread on JNC or Ratsun, can't remember which. I would LOVE to have one of these...too bad I've never seen one for sale in my neck of the woods.

In reply to mad_machine:

A few nice ones show up every year at the Best of France and Italy show. One (red,of course), has the full Abarth treatment, with the 8 x 15 alloy wheels.

Fun fact - I had one of these in high school, and another kid really did think I drove a Rolls Royce.

The 164 isn't as lame as it's memory suggests. It's really just a 140 with a longer nose containing a lovely 3.0L inline six. There were two strikes against it back in the day; the newfangled D-Jet EFI that few mechanics understood, and emissions tuning. Our U.S. spec engine ran around 140HP, but up the compression to Euro spec and you've got 175.

It's still just a stately cruiser though - the iron block/iron head pushrod six is the pivot point around which all the rest of the car moves. It is not a sports sedan.

I'll chime in on the Volvo alternatives since that's what I know.

Volvo 142/144/164: The 164 is the most unloved of the series, the six cylinder is not as reliable as other B-series mills and it gets pretty abysmal fuel mileage. The 144 and 142 have the same body and chassis from the A-pillar back. They can be made to handle well, and the B20 responds well to internal mods, up to about 200 hp. This series can be engine swapped, but it's not a simple affair. The engine bay and transmission tunnel are smaller than the later 240 series so a b230 transmission does not fit without resizing the tunnel. If you were to buy one of these with a manual, and you want to do road trips, the M41 4-speed with OD transmission is essential. My M40 4-speed does not like the freeway.

It's built later than your requests, but the Volvo that most meets all your requirements is the 780 Bertone coupe. It's not as odd looking as the 262, it's a midsize supremely comfortable highway cruiser, and you can turbo it or add V8 power for cheap thrills.

And if you're going for the Mercedes the 250c/ 280c coupes are at the bottom of their depreciation curve right now. Just watch out for carb issues - apparently the OE carburetors warped just sitting in boxes on the dealer shelves!

Here is an amazing Volvo 164 build over on retrorides. http://retrorides.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=readersrides&action=display&thread=58505

rx3 wagon! Rx4 is a little bigger as a more American pony car feel to it too, the gas MPG is probably its weak point but some may have a newer NA EFI swapped in and get high 20mpg range.

I know a bit about volvo 164's. B30 engine which is basically a B20 with two cylinders tacked on the front. Big heavy lumps of iron. Torquey, but not fast. Most of the cars have Borg Warner 3 spd automatics. They rust like most Euro cars of the era. What they're popular for these days is for scavenging the power steering system to retrofit into 1800's since its about as close to bolt in as you'll get.

I'm looking at everything posted and I'm doubtful any of them with meet your 0-60 criteria without some modifications. The 70's were dark days when it came to performance.

So let's say I open it up to up '85 and keep all the rest of the requirements. What does that add?

Later BMW 5-series, Rover SD1, ?

In reply to 93EXCivic:

Going to '85 gives you BMW E28 5-series for the sedan (avoid Etas). And later E24 6-series coupes.

Margie says she loves her E28.
http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/bmw-e28-5-series-what-do-i-need-to-know/52707/page1/

EDIT: Eta powered cars are easy to identify if they have the original tach. Redline is a very un-BMW like 5K rpm. The whole Eta concept was to improve fuel economy by restricting the operating range of the engine.

but getting of the long strong engine is only a swap away to a 535

Moving your standards up to 1985 also opens up this big highway cruiser.. the saab 9000