What is a durable classic car that is reliable?

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Maverick Grabber with a 5.0L. Only downside is the original power steering had a tendency to wander. Replace the springs in the load sensing valve and it'll be an easy drive, stay on center, and go real well. Not much money right now, but prices are climbing
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Comet Caliente from any year. Early Cougar.

Falcon Sprint or Ranchero V8. These can all be upgraded to Shelby front suspension geometry and TONS of aftermarket stuff. How fast you want to go depends on how deep you pockets are ...

These are small enough that you can sort of park them in modern parking spaces. The bigger stuff like GM A bodies and such are PIA to park and not get door dinged, prices are already crazy, etc.

True classic might be a 1953 Hudson Hornet with Twin H power. They ruled NASCAR for some years for a reason
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Or, an AMX or Javelin, AMC Scrambler with a 401
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Or, hey - an AMC era V8 CJ5 Jeep with a 390/401 in place of the 307 it came with. Off road capable and it'll scare a lot of rice rockets
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Or a 1963 Ford Galaxie with a 406 tri-power and 4-speed. It'll haul the whole family and it will go. Medium riser heads, or a whole DOVE engineering engine
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Or a 1961 Pontiac Catalina with a 421 Super Duty. Heck, a 1963 Tempest with a 326 will scare you. Pull that and drop in a 389 and it'll fly. Prices are still reasonable, GTO's are not ...
 
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Originally Posted By: slacktide_bitog
A 70s Celica
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Yeah, I always wanted a early Celica Fastback. If you can find one, they would be super cool. Add a turbo and EFI and it would be a hot sled for sure
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Or a little Datsun 1200 fastback. Miniscule. But oh so much fun for no money
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Or, a Datsun 510 with the full boogie. Or a BMW 2000ti, etc.
 
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Originally Posted By: StevieC


To be honest I love the 80's Chevy Caprice. Something about the comfort of driving a couch with all of it's clunkiness but it's not a muscle car or something that is cool.
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What about a resto-mod with a stock Caprice but a fuel-injected crate motor?
 
Originally Posted By: BrocLuno
Originally Posted By: slacktide_bitog
A 70s Celica
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Yeah, I always wanted a early Celica Fastback. If you can find one, they would be super cool. Add a turbo and EFI and it would be a hot sled for sure
laugh.gif


Or a little Datsun 1200 fastback. Miniscule. But oh so much fun for no money
smile.gif


Or, a Datsun 510 with the full boogie. Or a BMW 2000ti, etc.


Sounds like some of the cars they have on JDM Legends. Some of which are imported from Japan and fixed up. Below is a link for some of their cars one of which is a 73 Celica GT for $35k.

https://jdmlegends.com/collections/comming-soon-vehicles-for-sale
 
Originally Posted By: Chris Meutsch
Originally Posted By: StevieC


To be honest I love the 80's Chevy Caprice. Something about the comfort of driving a couch with all of it's clunkiness but it's not a muscle car or something that is cool.
grin2.gif



What about a resto-mod with a stock Caprice but a fuel-injected crate motor?


My fallback plan I think...
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Originally Posted By: StevieC
I'm looking for a durable somewhat reliable classic car from the Muscle Car era to have fun on the weekends...

Suggestions?



At that age, it depends much more on the craftsmanship of the maintainer or restorer than anything inherent about the original design. Look at PRESENT CONDITION more than for a particular car. A well restored AMC Pacer is going to be a lot more reliable than a hacked-together Plymouth Duster, despite the exact opposite being true when they were new.

You should be aware that restoration parts are readily available for some more than others, too. The GM A (midsize) & F (Camaro/Firebird)-bodies, Mopar A/B/E bodies, Mustangs, tri-5 Chevies, and a few others are all extremely well-supported by the restoration market. Mopar C-bodies (Fury, Polara, Monaco) are not as well supported body/glass/trim-wise, although mechanically its just as good since they use the same engines and transmissions as the popular cars. Same for, say, a fullsize Bonneville or Catalina as opposed to a Firebird, or even a Chevy fullsize like an Impala.

Being that its in my wheelhouse, they were always generally mechanically reliable, and they're still comparatively affordable to buy up-front, an A-body Mopar would be my go-to for cheap classic fun. That would be a Dart/Valiant/Duster/Demon, especially 71-75, and Barracuda up to '69 although the Barracudas are NOT cheap to buy anymore. If my Mopar background weren't a factor, I'd look at some of the overlooked GMs of the early/mid 70s like the Ventura, Skylark, and Nova of circa 1973, or the later G-bodies (late 70s-80s Monte Carlo, Regal, Cutlass, etc.) although in some states (CA, for example) you have to keep anything post-75 fully smog inspected, and that's a real pain. That's also why they haven't taken off in price quite like the earlier pre-75 cars have.

One other thing: As has been pointed out more and more often (eg. Roadkill), 4-doors of the 60s-70s haven't skyrocketed in price like the comparable 2-doors, and they drive *exactly* the same and for the most part take exactly the same driveline and suspension components. They're getting more and more accepted as being "cool" even though there are still people who won't even look at a 4-door.
 
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Yes, the Datsun 510 was nice for its price, but they've tended to rust away.

If you don't need fast, mid- to late-60s Chrysler compacts and intermediates with the Slant Six were simple to maintain and above average reliability for their time. (NOT after about '72)
 
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Just some thoughts. Many cars described here that I would have loved to own in the 60's.

GM car would be my first choice. So many NOS and aftermarket parts available. Find someone who has lovingly restored a non numbers matching car or who rebadged a Chevelle or such with SS logo (really works for any pseudo muscle car). Many times the resale value is far lower than trying to do this yourself. Sometimes people just want to move on to a new project.

My own preference. 68 Olds 442 (or Cutlass clone)
 
This is what I drive, just got back from getting groceries. Never walked home yet with it. I have owned several Buick GS and GTO cars from that era. My 1968 GS400 was my daily driver to University / general life for about 5 years until these cars became too valuable to drive regularly. That car took us to Texas, Florida and California on our vacations. Points failed once on the longer trip to Florida on the way home, I carried a spare so no big deal. My wife's first car was a 1972 Monte Carlo, daily driver to her job and we took it to California on holidays. Solid car.

These cars are all very expensive now, as you are probably aware, even the little brother cars (Skylark, Malibu, LeMans, Cutlass, etc.) so good luck finding an affordable one. Ford and Dodge / Plymouth have similar offerings. With regular maintenance they are reliable. They can't hold a candle to a new muscle car for comfort, power, drivabilty and economy but they have a certain cool factor of course. Good luck.
 
I am 70 and owned 60's muscle cars back in the day, even when new you could not approach the reliability and comfort of modern cars. If I were to do what you are thinking about I would look for a "personal luxury car" from that era. A Thunderbird, Buick Riviera, Buick Wildcat, Pontiac Gran Prix/Bonneville/Catalina 2+2. Big, smooth riding and comfortable with a powerful V8. They won't be priced as high as a muscle car from the same era and if you are willing to look at a mid 70's model the price will be even less. Condition is everything and parts availability is a must. Look at catalogs from places like Original Parts Group to see which model is supported.

Then plan on tinkering a lot to keep the old gal running. Carbs, points/condenser, and spark plugs need frequent attention even in a good old classic.

Good luck and have fun!

https://classics.autotrader.com/classic-cars/1969/buick/riviera/100997870
https://classics.autotrader.com/classic-cars/1963/buick/riviera/101009559
https://classics.autotrader.com/classic-cars/1964/pontiac/grand_prix/101004054
 
A nice classic muscle car is too valuable to use as a daily driver. Sad but true. Talk to the guys that have them and how much it cost to get them really nice.
 
"condition" is the most important aspect. and that means the condition of every system and component. every rubber bushing, seal, gasket, etc. The first two vintage cars that I drove around were fun to drive (1964 Dodge 440; and the 1970 Cougar) but it seemed like every time I drove one of them something would break or start leaking. It took some time to make them reliable. I got the Cougar in 1992; drive it for a few years, then parked it for 17 years. we have done a complete refresh on it over the last two years. everything under the hood, everything in the drivetrain (engine, transmission, rear end, brakes) everything in the suspension has been freshened up and improved. of course, it depends on how much of a perfectionist you are; but I presume that many of us on BITOG are very picky. oops, we have high standards.
 
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