Fun Vintage Sedan

Joined
Dec 5, 2003
Messages
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Location
New England, USA
Time for a fun topic. What say the crowd for an entertaining classic/vintage sedan?

I am always playing 'what if' w/ the cars and I am thinking that it would be useful to have a vintage 4 door to be able to take another couple out for dinner, etc. without smelling like diesel or sitting in 'troop' seats and, just maybe, enjoying some comfort.

My tastes lean Euro, but open, and I am thinking late 60's to late 80's and I have a fairly high tolerance for odd and needy. Only one real NO (flame suit on); BMW E30's...I never liked the looks...box on a box is being kind. Also, no Rolls or Bentley, not me.

Off the top of the head;

MB 190, not an MB fan but liked these
Peugeot 505, always liked these, rare and would have to be a turbo or V6..Lord help me
BMW Bavaria, familiar, pretty, well-built and relatively easy to live with
BMW E12 5 Series, see above, except for not as pretty
Rover 3500TC or S V8, pretty, rare, lots of parts bin components but some are hens' teeth, British quirkiness, did I say pretty?
Citroen DS, friends who don't appreciate cars may not want to be seen in it
Something AMC....
 
Don’t know how vintage this is… but it’s old to me haha… 2003 Mazda6. My mom had one with the 2.3L 4 cylinder. Mechanically it was a very similar car to our 2011 Fusion, although the Mazda was more tightly sprung, more road noise, etc. But for what it was, it handled very well, felt quicker than it was, had a nice interior, and I still love the looks of that car to this day. It’s a classic to me.
 
W126 Mercedes. The diesel ones don’t leave you smelling, and there are all sorts of nice gas ones out there. I prefer the non extended version, but ymmv.

There may be some 7-series bmw from your era too.

Honestly I’d look into a big old Cadillac or Lincoln too. No, not euro, but big, powerful cars. I’m assuming Chrysler had some big block fancier sedans too, but not in my time…
 
The Citroën DS21. Nothing rides better.
I don't know where you'd source parts for it. But, you now have the Internet, something that wasn't around in '67.
 
The SM and CX were some of my favorite cars, both were very easy to live with as was the 3500 Vitesse. I would own any one of them again in a heartbeat.
Another very cool car was the Austin Princess DSII or DSIII, they had the look of a Roller with an equally nice interior but with much easier and less expensive mechanicals. They are probably very rare in the US.
 
My tastes lean Euro, but open, and I am thinking late 60's to late 80's and I have a fairly high tolerance for odd and needy. Only one real NO (flame suit on); BMW E30's...I never liked the looks...box on a box is being kind.
As a kid (and a strange one at that) I loved the boxy Volvo's from the 70s and 80s.
So once I graduated to 6 cyl e30 coupes by the time I could drive, I was in heaven!
All the boxiness of a Volvo that's been streamlined yet athletic, and more reliable...what's not to love?!
👍
 
Old Cadillac

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Hard to beat a BMW E12 5 Series. Could even be a pretty reliable car. I think they're pretty in a masculine sort of way.

A BMW E39 5 series. See above, and they're prettier.

Pretty much any Volvo of any era would work nicely. Lots of room and great seats.

But if you're looking for something cheap, a Cadillac with a NorthStar engine (one currently running) would fit the bill nicely. These are a disaster waiting to happen of course. So don't drive it except for those special occasions.
 
lots of options depending on $$$ as usual. 4 doors are almost always cheaper + dont forget parts for cheep now but costly when new will be costlier now IF even available! i daily drove "classics" for years until gas got crazy $$$! GM is usually a better choice cost wise IMO + i lived my last one a basic 72 olds cutlass a barn find literally as it was stored in a barn covered with 20 some thou on it + a beautiful 2 dr hardtop i bought on the spot for 5 thou!!! it was in my local paper + close so i figured give it a look + it was the BEST older car i ever FOUND. being a GM A body many parts were the same as buicks, chevelles, + pontiacs except body panels i never needed as it was a shiny blue rust free gem!!!
 
As a kid (and a strange one at that) I loved the boxy Volvo's from the 70s and 80s.
So once I graduated to 6 cyl e30 coupes by the time I could drive, I was in heaven!
All the boxiness of a Volvo that's been streamlined yet athletic, and more reliable...what's not to love?!
👍
I should have added a Volvo or two to the list. I have a soft spot for the 164 and 240's (love the 262C, but that is a 2 door).

As for the e30. not sure why but they just never appealed to me looks wise. Maybe because after the looks of the Bavaria, 2002 and 320i, the e30 just didn't do it for me. Great drivers, well some of them, though.
 
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