Mid-life Crisis or just tired of mediocrity?

In central Iowa, I don't think you want to be driving anything "classic" in the winter. The fender benders from driving in ice and snow plus the salt will do in an older vehicle in very short order. I lived in Des Moines for three years and it was demoralizing watching my once rust free 70 El Camino deteriorate from the elements and stupid winter accidents.

Summer driver, fine. But get something else as a winter beater.

 

For what you want i would say the updated classic is what you would want.......

 

You're makin' an assumption.

We were all kids at one time, and parents all want better for their off spring. BUT ............... the point I'm trying to make is not all decisions need to revolve around the kids comfort zone. Too much of that happens today and as a result I'm seeing more young little pussy dicks and pussy pussies roaming the planet.

As a kid I climbed in and outa' the back seat of a non A/C'd 2-door car and lived through it winter, spring, summer and fall.

My parents liked sporty 2-dr cars and even had a convertible, not real toasty warm during a New York winter. With some of the logic I read here, they should've sacrified those desires and had at a minimum a 4-dr family car or even a suburban so my sister and I could ride in comfort.

Heck, I know parents that won't let 14-15 year old kids operate a lawn mower 'cause they might hurt themselves . I blame the parents, not the kids for the young folks being on EZ Street. Kids need to be exposed to potentially hazardous situations, otherwise they'll never know what to do when they accidentially experience one. Ya' know, like developing common sense about mechanical things, 'cause they sure as hell aren't gonna' learn it pressing buttons on a keyboard.

It's amazing, ever since the first Chrysler Mini-Van was introduced in 1983, Automotive marketing suggests the minute the old lady pops a kid ya' need to run down to the dealership and purchase a Soccer Mom Mini-Van. After all, today kids have to have their space and be entertained when being chauffered around . At least that's the way I see it in advertisements on TV.

 

Classic, for sure.

The compromise I would make if it's a daily drive and family car is that I would put a more modern driveline in it. Grab a classic car that isn't a "hot" item that drives the value up so you're not wasting money on the shell. Build up a modern engine & tranny like a 302/AOD or the GM equivalent, modernize the brakes to keep the wife happy and the kids safer and start driving.

Think about it, even a lower end econo-box new car is $15K or more these days. You could EASILY build a safe and extremely reliable classic for that much or a lot less. My little Focus is almost paid off and I would never replace it with a new one now that I'm doing a 302/AOD swap into my '57 Ford.

I'm the same age as the OP and my kids are almost 12. What do I want them to learn from all of this wrench turning?
1. It's a hell of a lot of fun to work on them
2. It's even more fun to drive them
3. It's a lot more rewarding driving something you built than going to the mega car lot and picking out generic car model x.
4. You don't have to be like everyone else. Fuck the status quo!

You're not in a mid-life crisis, you're just refusing to give up and that's a good thing.

 

First off, I lied when I took the poll. I always do.

I agree but I still got a 4 door for my comfort. I still have to pick the kids and their friends up and it's alot easier on me for them to be able to get in their own doors.

They know better than to complain about the lack of AC though. They know that's what the handle on the door is for.

 

X2 on all above. We (the US, not the HAMB) really are becoming a vaginized culture.

I drove a shitty looking '49 Plymouth for a number of years; no interior except for the seats. If I had it to do over again, I'd a) install seat belts (daughter got a black eye when I had to stop fast once), and b) not sell the car for something 'sensible'.

I drove that car all the time, even in the snow. I always figured, WTF; it wasn't built to be a toy, it was built to be transportation.

And I grew up without rear seat heating, A/C, PS, PDL, DVD, GPS, or even FM radio. Sitting on vinyl seats (learned not to wear shorts in the car on hot days).

 

Well, after just a day or so of hunting I've come up with a few options. The 70 Impala, I know its not hamb matterial but its nice, has only 40K on it. Has the build sheet, protect-o-plate, window sticker, original hoses, etc... Rubber is all good. The only changes on this car are the tires and shocks.
It's a yellow color (looks tan in the picture) with red interior, the build sheet shows it was ordered that way.
A high school friend has it and also will be sending me pictures of a 59 biscayne, I6, 3 spd, etc......
There are also a couple of cars I've seen posted here on the hamb that I drool over, unfortunately they are on either coast or in Texas!
The hunt continues!

 

That's a nice driver. Nothing to be ashamed of there.

 

Here's my take on this topic.
In the early '50's, Caddy's were roomy and powerful and built like a tank. Guess what? Some of them actually got decent gas mileage with 'old' technology (20-1 mpg). I'm sure that could be improved with the right tuning or update to an injected later model motor.
I have a '54 Chevy truck. It's 3200 lbs and built like a tank (see above reference). I like to drive it as much as I can afford to (needs a motor upgrade for tired motor). So, I swapped out the drums all the way around and updated to four-wheel power disc brakes.
Guess what, no one knows it. I run tri-5 steelies.
I also installed front and rear sway bars to better the handling.
Included in the updates were three new seatbelts and a newer seat in the cab and a 5-speed tranny. Once I get the new motor in it, I realistically expect 305 hp and 20-22 mpg range in something I can drive everyday across country.
Taxes are cheap.
Insurance is cheap.
Upkeep is cheap.
No payments or interest.
It increases in value every year.

And on top of that, it's cool, it's old, and I don't have a bunch of money tied up in it like a 'new' car.
You can make any onld car into something you can drive anywhere, anytime, safely.
My youngest son is 9 yrs old.
He wants my '51 Chrysler to drive.
It's a tank.
I'd rather have him drive something like that than some POS tin can that they make nowadays. I know he'd survive a crash in that old tank better than a honda.
r

 

I dig it, get it, drive it and enjoy yourself .

 

At age 42 (and with a garage full of toys) I have to say "Mid life Crisis" is a phrase only used by younger people who are jealous you can finally afford what you want while they can't, or old people who've already missed the boat and forgot take a bite out of life while they still had teeth.

My vote: Get one of each.

 

Patch-up a decent classic, undercoat it w/ Rinoliner and drive the weeeee out of it. Make a statement, with vintage tin.

 

I'd have to go for a mid-60's to early 70's GM fullsize car. That way you get tons of room, comfort, good power, TH350 or TH400 tranny, factory disc brakes (or easily adaptable to disc), parts availability, and good value for the money. It's done depreciating and should be cheap to insure.

Find a '65 to '67 Pontiac fullsize car and post pics of the big grin on your face you'll have when cruising it.

 

I opted for the Old Classic choice. Also kept my old Yukon for haulin, pullin, and emergency back-up. It works, but I hate being broke down, which happened with both of them. Semed like wrenchin was becoming a job, like mowing the grass. This week the Yukon got traded in on a like new 06 Magnum. Hemi, 5 speed automatic with that manual shifter option, Big 4 wheel disc brakes, 4 wheel independent suspension. It's bad and it's black.
Keeping the 41, but I sure don't hate my "daily driver".

 

We got 19 Nancies voting for new... do us a favor and log off and don't come back..

Go old.....

 

LMAO!!!!

unreal

 

Nancy here..
No problem Z man. Didn't know the rules were.. agree with you or shut the fuck up.

Point to consider...
Will you still pass up all comforts, to be cool; in another 25 years?

Make that,, an OLD Nancy

 

First off, I lied when I took the poll. I always do.

 

Define old.

An old driver can be comfortable can't it, I mean AC was available in the '50s and pretty common place by the '60s. They also had radios and the seats even had padding and upholstery. Granted non of my stuff has any of those options well they do have upholstered seats, but I aint old yet.


Orange_52 here's something to consider, I have an older sister so there are two of us and believe it or not we were children once. I don't recall there ever being a car with more than 2 doors in the family and my dad normally drove a roadster.

Then there is one other thing to consider, and this goes for a lot of you fellas here. What's your wife want you to drive?

Sorry I haven't had much drama in at least 24 hours.

 

2004 was the last year of that body style. They sold them under the "F150 Heritage" nameplate. They also sold the new body style alongside it. Total fuckin' bitch to look up parts for if someone just comes in and says "I need ______ for an '04 F150", and you have to ask, "old body style or new body style?". The answer is always the same.. "I dunno, it's an F150." We've already established that, asshole!

Sorry, I'll get off the rant!

 

Old is when your driving and hear these wierd squeaking, snapping, crackling, groaning noises and it's you, not the car.

 

you are gonna have to finance anyway I assume so why not finance a finished classic with all the modern updates you think you will need so that that way both you and you family will have the best of both worlds,on the other hand I lease my vehicules for 3 years at a time so I dont have to worry about much at all,if you buy you will be paying for maintanace once the factory coverage is up so leasing at least you know you will always have a good,safe ride and you dont have to worry about the depreciation factor.Just my $.02

 

For the money it costs for a new car buy a classic with modern running gear you get a cool look with better brakes a/c fuel injection etc. and little deprecation. My experince has been a well maintained older car is almost as reliable as a new car (less stuff to go wrong) and eiser to fix if it breaks.