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‘67 Camaro SS. That year had the hideaway headlight covers. I had that car in get-a-ticket red. It hauled ***.
‘70 Dodge Charger 440 R/T. When it idled, it sounded like a tiger ready to pounce. It also had hideaway headlights.
My Dodge Super Bee had a 383 with a cam and headers. Due to a small header leak, the street cam wound up sounding like a full on race cam. There was some winter gravel on a road one fine day. The L60 rear tires hit the gravel, broke loose and drifted like a suddenly 5000 rpm enabled engine will induce. One of the more exciting moments of my life. Lots of torque - and 8 mpg. Of course we used to brag about how terrible our mileage was. At .29/gallon it wasn't a worry.
There were a lot of very capable big block engines during the muscle car era. A few of the better known: 454 - 440 - 428 - 427 - 426 - 400 - 396 - 390 - 389 - 383. The 440 was one of the better street performers unless very high rpms enabled the 426 Hemi to breathe at its full capability. Always like the 427 six pack myself.
I do seem to remember that many racers seemed disinclined to go against the Mopar big blocks. Though I am surely prejudiced in that regard. My floor mat was customized to read Mopar Power using the "p" twice.
My school had a '70 Cuda with 440 six pack that was likely the fastest in the yard. Since he never got on it, I told myself I was the king of the yard and few disagreed after I coated the gymnasium with tire smoke a few times. Bit of engine smoke in the mix if truth be told. Cops started waiting around the school yard as if by magic.
67 1/2 fastback. To me that’s the quintessential muscle car. I couldn’t justify buying a actual 67 1/2 but I would buy a newer mustang that has that look.
Since you're 6'4", why not choose a car with real headroom -- something from the 1955 - 1957 era
(or older?), before the lower-and-wider trend began.
Or a pickup?
Or a Checker cab?
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Checker_Taxi_1.jpg
I happily squeezed myself into a Fiat X1-9 for awhile. I don't need spacious room as long as I technically fit. I did not fit into the BMW Z3 last I checked.
Been watching Leno's Garage. The best looking cars were made prior to the 50's. Can only imagine the price tag and cost of upkeep. Those are cars for the rich.
Tired of long distance land lording nightmares. Going to sell them and treat myself to a cool old car. There are so many that I hardly know where to begin. So I trotted over here to get some ideas. Here is my list of "wants":
1) 6'4" fits - can be snug as long as I fit.
2) Old enough and simple enough that a decent handyman can do essential maintenance.
3) Rare enough to costs some money, common enough to be "affordable". Currently thinking $5000-$50,000.
4) Why the huge range? Hoping that the car is "cool enough" not to depreciate like a rock.
5) Probably between 1955 and 1975. Power steering and brakes is nice on medium/large cars.
6) Capable of 85mph or better.
7) Not a POS fixer upper, not a show car.
European, Japanese or American? Not a real big factor.
Hoping the tone remains somewhat congenial...
Ok, I have rethought my original answer, and if you are Hellbent on having an older car as your driver, here are my suggestions:
1) We can't pick a make and model for you. I like Fords, you might be a Mopar guy. You have to dig into your brain and find that one car that really would turn YOU on. For example, I could never see myself driving something like a big old Olds or Buick, I lean more toward muscle cars and hot rods. You have to decide what kind of car YOU like.
2) Once you decide, you have to analyze yourself. How good are you mechanically ? As some of us mentioned earlier, old cars break down more frequently than newer ones, so you have to be prepared to either fix it yourself, or keep shelling out money to pay someone else to do it.
3) You cite 1955 to 1975, and that makes a huge difference. a 1955 car is not going to be as dependable as a 1975, nor as comfortable. Cars kept getting better and bigger as time went on.
4) You also mention a budget of $5K to $50K, quite a swing. I would not hesitate to park a $5,000 car in a parking lot, but I would certainly hesitate to park a $50,000 car there. I would also be deathly afraid to take the more expensive one out on the roads. A year ago, I was sitting stopped in my 27 Ford hot rod, and a 95 year old man rear ended me...…..$6,000 in damages, and I had to dismantle the car so the body shop could repair the damage, then I had to reassemble it when they were done.
5) Finally, there is the matter of getting parts when you need them. Not every local parts store carries parts for old cars, sometimes you have to go on the internet to order them. That ties up your daily driver for a few days, until the parts come, and you will be without wheels to drive.
Not trying to discourage you, but you need to know the facts going in.
Reading threads to current, seems to me it's perhaps narrowed to a 1980s 1) 450, or 560SL Mercedes. 2). 1980s BMW 325i convertible (I owned one of these, red w/fawn interior and black top) 3) Old Porsche 911, various years.
1) Mercedes 450, 560SL
They drove like tanks and were about as well-built, whatever they call that bodystyle generation that was only replaced in 1991. Boring, not real fast, real solid, looks classy, convertible, couple I found in CarGurus about $20K? Seems like a winner to me and you can be seen driving it, too. Favorite car of suburban dentists and Hollywood has-beens with cigarettes in long holders driving down Sunset in W. Hollywood. I researched these thoroughly back in 1995, as I recall...
...because 560SL was a finalist when I instead bought my 1989 BMW 325i convertible.
Those models are pretty solid. Amusingly enough, I'm looking at the follow-on 500SL from c. 1991, new body style that looks 1/10th as classy. $5-10K at most, the phrase "massive depreciation" comes to mind, those being $80K cars in 1991 dollars. As I recall, that's about the time there was a seriously nasty little turn in how Mercedes was building them, but who knows? That the previous generation are 2-3x as costly implies a bit of collectability, but I'd think hard on that anyway and pay the premium.
CarGurus has a 1998 SL 600, with the V12, in Azure Blue Metallic, for twenty grand. Appears immaculate. Hard and soft top included, and it sure looks boss w/top down. Now THAT would be a whoopdie car, if it has records and passes a real close inspection. Seriously, if I had more room in my garage for a craptastic, fascinatingly fun car plus lived in a climate that supported it, I'd probably run out and buy that just for giggles. "No, no, and no" in my case.
2) BMW 325i Convertible
My soon-to-be bought 1989 passed a mechanic's check w/100K miles and ran like a top. Owned that car 7 years, second longest to-date. I threw money at it at about 150K to keep it tip-top (about $3300), but other than that those were solid for me and many others. Quality: BMW did the same damn thing as Mercedes, the quality changes from my 1989 325i (solid platform, engines typically warped the heads at 225K or so but otherwise fine) and my 1996 E39 540i was immense.
3) Porsche 911 from that era
No idea if these are becoming collectible, the 964 series mostly, but based on used prices I'd say "it depends!". Turbos, convertibles, and 993 generation-anything are crazy money. I wouldn't hesitate much to buy a well-sorted SC or various others from that era, if the 911 floats your boat. They are weird cars and handle like nobody's business in the snow due to the rear engine. Some are AWD. I've flung my AWD, C4 GTS around the local autocross and had a great time. 911s are not everyone's cup of tea, but the enthusiasts keep prices on ALL of them high.
When mine is paid off in 2021, I'm either going to run it into the ground over the next X years or sell it and find a craptastic whoopdie like that SL 600 at 1/4 the price. We shall see.
Watch Barrett-Jackson auction on Motortrend channel [ was Velocity] this coming weekend to get some ideas. Less expensive cars on the first day.
You beat me to it, LOL. The last several shows I've seen on the Telly had some beautiful, yet affordable cars sold. There's NO WAY that I could restore some of those to the condition they were in for the amount of money they sold for (if your labor is worth anything to you). But then, I guess, there's something to be said about doing much of the restoration oneself to make it "yours". But at my age and skill level, I'd likely have to purchase something already at a high level to begin with, a "frame off" would be an antique by the time I finished it if I started with a two-year old car.
My BIL purchased a restored (not a great restoration, but OK for the money) 1963 Caddy convertible back in the early 80's at auction when he and my sister lived in Phoenix one year. I was in CC at the time, and was off for spring break or something. I helped a guy drive his motor home and glider from Chicago to Phoenix, and then brought the Caddy back to Chicago. Naturally, I had to stop at the Grand Canyon, Zion, etc. during the trip back, top down all the way, it was a great time. I brought a small tool box with basic stuff, wire, and duct tape, but never had to use any of it - but it just occurred to me that a '63 was only twenty years old at the time.
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