Anyone else enjoy older vehicles?

[Wolf359]

Yes, it does talk. Not sure about the switch in the glove box. The System Check button doesn't work so I only get to hear Your keys are in the ignition, and Please fasten your seat belt

Yeah look around, on the left side of the glove box, tiny little switch. I used to turn it on for fun to show passengers occasionally and then switch it back off. Mostly a gimmick which is why you never see them again today.

If I want to buy and install I can get that price too, it is the $180 / hr labor and all 4 wheels.

I think you need to shop around for someone that mount/dismount tires. I would think any tire shop could quote you a better price seeing as how most only charge $80-$100 to mount/balance 4 tires and that includes rebuilding TPMS.

 

[1uz_4me]

I deliberately drive a 99 GS400. 341k miles & it was seeing 85mi/day until last week when I moved 2mi from work. LCD nav screen doesn't like to work when it's cold out, otherwise no issues. If I had my choice (lots of money) I'd daily a fox body again. Had a 93GT for 15yrs, it's the only car I miss

 

[doublebase]

I think manufacturers had a sweet spot in their cars, let’s say the ten years before direct injection. They seemed to have “figured it out”. Engines were doing well, transmissions were doing better. The cars generally were lasting longer with less repairs. They had fine tuned things - and of course that’s when they all said...let’s change everything! Boom! Smaller engines, direct injection, low tension rings, CVT transmissions, tire pressure monitors, blue tooth, turbos in everything, plastic intakes, CAFE regulations.

When they figure all this^^out, they’ll change it again.

Regarding old cars — It depends. I’ve tried to keep cars going for tons of miles and many years. It’s tough, it’s not as easy as some on the internet would leave you to believe. Everything that is rubber eventually needs to be replaced...that’s engine mounts, control arms, bushings. That’s takes effort, money and time. And as soon as you replace one thing, the next thing goes. It’s a constant never ending battle. And then finally something MAJOR goes and you have to make a decision...do I keep doing this? Something like a power steering rack, a tranny, a subframe rusts out, you need all new brake and fuel lines. I’ve done all of those things - only to finish it up and the things you replaced two years ago need to be replaced again. So if you’re going to for 300,000 miles or more - if you’re in THAT GAME - you had better be prepared to pay. Yes, still lower than a car payment, but bottom line...it’ll still be old, missing the newer creature comforts and performance...and it can leave you stranded in the middle of winter as that fuel pump just decides to die. Or that relay on the ignition system decides it’s had enough. And it’s a long walk home.

 

[vwmaniaman]

I am no Jay Leno, but I have owned some real classics in my life. One of my favorites was my first car that I rescued from a junk yard. A 1936 Ford 5 window coupe. Owned it while in high school when all the cool guys were driving the early 60's Impalas. Later on I owned a 1929 Ford 4dr Briggs body Model A with low mileage and just loved driving that car. Owned several other 36 Fords and Edsel's and Mercurys and finally discovered VW's and Corvairs. I was living in Arizona so air cooled motors were very nice. I still wish I owned them all. Had my share of Corsas and Falcon Sprints too. Peugeot and Porsche made the list too. Now that I am getting older I have my stable down to just 9 vehicles. All run and are ready for a trip anywhere. Preventive maintenance is the key and doing the job right the first time. I will say of my newest vehicle, the Mazda 5 is very easy to repair and is reliable and has no rust issues.

 

[Snagglefoot]

I have two older vehicles that are 12 and 15 years old. They still run great and I do my own preventive maintenance. I especially like my 2008 Burb with 210,000 miles. I ordered it new from a check list. The nice thing is that it is a bit out of the ordinary; a 3/4 ton 4x4, much like the CIA used to drive. It has a full load and would cost in excess of $60 K to replace. I plan to go to 300,000 miles and will then decide. Of course it runs a gauntlet full of Elk and Deer everyday so it might not be up to me on how long it lasts.

 

[Dave Sherman]

Driving my MG is certainly more exciting than the daily driver. I've had folks holler out "nice car!" since you don't often see them. Always nice when I encounter another LBC on the road (Little British Car) and we wave at each other.

 

[DGXR]

Some old vehicles are good and worth owning/keeping, but not all. Key is to find one that suits your needs, with good design and engineering, in good condition, and then take good care of it. That's what I try to do anyway. The first three vehicles I ever owned were 1972 Gremlin, 1965 Mustang and 1967 Mustang. The Gremlin was super reliable and trouble-free for over 100k but the Mustangs needed repairs pretty regularly... suspension, transmission, carburetor, etc. Presently, I've had my 2006 Tacoma since 2009 and aside from normal wear items, it's only needed an AC condenser and a water pump in 145k miles and nearly 12 years. Best vehicle I've ever owned. And by what I've read, I understand it is built better than the new Tacomas. The Corvette is a late-run from the C4 generation and most of the bugs and glitches were worked out by 1995, got it in great condition and haven't had any problems with it in 7 years and 29k miles. I will sell the Vette someday but I believe I will drive the wheels off the Tacoma.

 

[joekingcorvette]

The oldest car I have is the 05 Corvette purchased with only 1025 miles on it. So....basically brand new. The car now has 73,000 miles and still has the original brakes and tire pressure sensors. I had the harmonic balancer replaced a couple months ago at 71,000 miles. Other that that its been trouble free and I plan to keep it for a while. I think vehicles like my Honda Civic and Ford F-150 will go a long time without repairs. The Jeep should hold out very well too since it's at 64,000 miles. I don't mind driving anything older as long as it's in very nice condition and everything works as it should. I actually like driving the basic Honda Civic for my daily driver. My wife and I work from home therefore most of the miles are just cruising around or short trips to the grocery store the last 9 months. I put more miles on the Corvette this year than any other year because of Covid.....gas is very cheap and it's fun to drive around aimlessly. This winter has been awesome with no snow to speak of. I don't really know what people call old cars anymore. I would take a new Corvette or Camaro any day over one out of the 60's due to high maintenance costs and poor gas mileage and inability to find good parts for a car out of the 60's or 70's.

 

[mpack88]

I owned 9 cars and most are insured and drivable. One I bought new. A 2018 Taurus. Not a crossover. LOL. I have a pair of 80s ford f150s, 3 chrysler, A 75 and 76 LTD and a 91 Ford Taurus. I like driving the 91 taurus the most. Doesnt give problems and I know around here I'm only one still running. I love my 75 ltd but it's to hard on gas to drive everyday.

 

[mpack88]

My daily driver is a 1992 Honda Accord with 203k miles. I enjoy driving it very much, and I expect to keep driving it for many more years. It's an extra car; I could easily sell it, not replace it, and still have other vehicles to drive that meet all of my transportation needs. But when you get a really good car like this one, you don't just get rid of it! Plus, I'd only get a lousy $1k or so if I sold it. I'd rather have a fantastic car than the extra $1k in the bank.

Do I have to repair it more often than a new car? NOPE! Back in May, I drove it down to West Virginia, 500 miles each way. Car ran beautifully. When I got back, it was about due for an oil change, so I changed it a few days after. Since then, I haven't done a single thing to it. The last repair I did was replace a leaking water pump a year and a half ago. It was about due for a timing belt anyway, so I changed all that and did a full tune-up. Nothing but oil changes since then. Prior to the timing belt/water pump (thinking hard)...I can't remember the last time it needed any repair. I'm not saying it's never needed any repair, I just can't remember the last specific repair I did before then. It must be at least 3 years since the last repair prior to the TB/water pump job. I hardly ever have to repair anything on it. I actually save a lot of money in maintenance driving the Accord over my other vehicles, since parts for it are so much cheaper. For example, I can wear out a set of tires and pay $300 to replace them on the Accord, or I can drive my truck every day, wear out its tires, and pay over $600 to replace them. I have another vehicle to maintain, but it reduces the frequency of maintenance on the other vehicles, so it more than evens out. This car is so ridiculously cheap to own, it basically costs me nothing to keep it around. I've done the math - The gas savings from driving it instead of my truck pays for the insurance, registration, and yearly taxes on it. I have classic vehicle plates on it, so the yearly taxes are super cheap, and it's old enough to be exempt from emissions tests. I have liability-only insurance which costs $48/month. I have the Accord listed as my "primary commuter" on my insurance while the others are "pleasure use," so it decreases the cost of insurance on the other cars too, further adding to the $ savings.

But it's not all about the money. I honestly think it's fun to drive, it's very practical (I have two baby seats in the back so I can haul the kids around, and the trunk is big enough to fit a whole Costco-shopping-trip worth of groceries), and I like driving something different from all of the newer CUVs I see every day. I have zero desire to buy something newer. Been there, done that. I hate the car payments, high depreciation, expensive insurance, and expensive taxes that go with a newer car. And it's all for what? Doing the same things that my old car is capable of doing? No thanks.

Most of my cars are worthless. But I like them all so might aswell keep them.

 

[Huie83]

I like the improvements of crash test ratings in newer vehicles. I don't like all the tech they put in vehicles. Lane warnings, cameras in your mirrors and dash, 360 degree camera's, auto braking etc all seem overly complicated to me. Even backup camera's I feel are dumb. My girlfriend's rav 4 has a backup camera.... dumb, just look over your shoulder.

I rode in a new Subaru Crosstrek the other day and it was annoying. It was always warning, binging, bonging etc about cars next to us or when the radar cruise was on, lane keep etc. Annoying.

I love driving my 97 Jeep Cherokee. No crazy stuff to distract you, you actually get to enjoy driving it and it's so simple to work on.

I've been looking for a new daily driver as my jeep is moving more towards a overlanding rig and I'd like to preserve it, not drive it in the salt. I am finding myself looking at older vehicles. Nothing new catches my eye. the only thing newer that does is a 2015 Nissan Xterra pro-4x, even that is a super old design and I love it.

 

[MrPlow]

I still drive a 30 year old Toyota pickup I drove in high school (my dad's at the time) back in the 90's. It's not that I love driving an old vehicle, it's just that the stupid thing won't die and is cheap and easy to fix. Silly 22re motor has 320,000 miles on it and runs better than it did over 100,000 miles ago. LOL Every time I have to fix something, I think for a brief moment that it might not be worth it, but putting $1,000 for 100,000 miles of driving is the deal of the century! Some new cars these days will be on their third engine and/or CVT by 100,000.

 

[Costas00]

I have bought recenlty a 91 Mercedes w124 200D with the 4 speed automatic gearbox. I don't use it as a daily driver but I love driving it! I really believe that it drives better than many newer cars. It is very underpowered but you learn to live with it and you adopt a different, more relaxed driving style. Gets decent economy too

 

[alcyon]

31, year old, two door coupe, Multilink rear susp, double A arm front susp, oh soo 80s VGA color digital dash.,Inline 6 RWD car. Loving it.

 

[CKN]

I guess for entertainment purposes-this is a viable thread. Otherwise asking BITOGers if they enjoy "older vehicles" is like asking Winnie the Pooh if he likes honey..........

 

[tbm3fan]

What's old?

 

[Falcon_LS]

Absolutely, and while I certainly can go out and buy a brand new car or truck, I am partial to older vehicles. I got the equipment to work on them; be it scan tools or special tools, they are a lot simpler to work on than anything manufactured today, and I have the luxury of taking my time with servicing and repairs, since I own multiple vehicles. While none of my vehicles are stock, with a lot of custom made, one off parts, the little improvements over time make ownership more pleasurable. Then, of course, when you own a vehicle for so long, it's almost like a marriage and you know when something's not right and needs attention.

Prior to COVID, I would head back two to three times a year and get to enjoy a brand new car for 3 weeks at a time. It would almost always be a GMC Yukon XL (sometimes a Denali), since that was my preference, and that was enough new car for me.

 

[carviewsonic]

I like my old Buick Park Ave's. The '03 because it doesn't owe me anything after 14 years as a daily driver, and is still reliable at 300,000 kms. My '05 because it's in nice shape with low miles, and is a great highway car. They are easy to work on, and mechanically simple compared to new cars.
My wife prefers the newer Impala though. I feel a bit wounded when she says we should sell the Buicks.

 

[Ws6]

I'm at a stage in life where it seems everyone is driving a new vehicle.

Older cars have character. I just find new vehicles extremely boring. They're all the same. Everyone has a black or silver crossover with AWD and LED headlights.

I personally drive a 15 year old 4x4 and a 12 year old economy car and love them both. Sure they require repairs sometimes, but I (for the most part) enjoy doing the maintenance. If something is too much for me or I don't have the time and it needs to get fixed, I have a garage that I can trust that does great service for a reasonable price. I've yet to experience a repair that would cost more than a replacement vehicle of the same size/type, per month.

New cars just seem like huge liabilities. I had a brand new car once and I couldn't even sleep without worrying about someone denting it or where I parked, etc. Two years into ownership it was hit while parked (at a dealership while in for warranty work of all places). What ended up happening was the dealer tech who was driving it lost control and slid into a parking pole. It was snowing and I still had the Pirelli PZeros on it at the time. I'm sure the tech didn't think an econobox would have the same tires as the vette on the showroom floor. Also, the dealer never owned up to it and never fixed it right, btw. "We'll fix it in-house and it won't show up on a CarFax." Wrong. Collision is on the CarFax, because they filed a police report and claimed it through their insurance. I also had to do this because they didn't repair it all the way. Thanks guys.

The new car brigade just seems like a giant circus to me, at least for a daily driver. You essentially give away a bunch of money to be at the mercy of the dealership. You pay more to insure it and drive it because that's what everyone else is doing and "old cars aren't reliable." I see more problems and blown engines with new cars (and trucks, like my friend's 2015 F-150 that went through three engines) than old ones. Usually rust kills old cars before anything else does. Even a lazy owner who is cheap and doesn't maintain their car can get by for years with clunking suspensions, check engine lights ,etc.

Anyone else like their old rides?

Older vehicles are cool, but I only like ones with nostalgia attatched. The S2000, any American V8 muscle/pony from the 60-70's, the GNX, stuff like that.

I, too, drive a AWD CUV with LED adaptive lighting. last night on the way to work I passed a lot of older vehicles in the ditch while my AWD equipped CUV didn't have a single issue navigating the freezing slush, snow, and ice. Older trucks were the #1 vehicle in the ditch, followed by newer trucks, followed by FWD cars. I think the RWD cars likely didn't even make it out of their driveways, lol! The FWD stuff just couldn't make it up the steep roads so it made it a little further. The trucks, well, trucks are terrible in the snow unless properly outfitted.-

 

[grampi]

Like many, my wife and I have two vehicles. My wife prefers newer vehicles, and I prefer her to have a newer vehicle just for the peace of mind. My vehicle is an '04 Corolla with 418K miles. I hate car payments, and while we have them for my wife's vehicle, I refuse to have them for mine. As long as nothing major goes out on the Corolla, I will continue to drive it. It does what I need it to, it's good on gas, uses very little oil, leaks no fluids, and best of all, repairs are still far less $$$ than car payments would be...