The best HAMB friendly road-ready rides for $5000

I bought this '58 Chevy for 5000 and drove it 40 miles home. I've done about 3000 in little odds and ends and basic maintenance to it. I could've driven it the way it was and been fine, but I felt it needed a little tlc.


Sent from my iPhone using TJJ

 

I wish we where closer I love that Imperial.

 

I picked up my O/t 67 Fairlane 500 2 door post 289 car for $3000. It was a family friends car and I'm the 3rd owner. Only rust that was in the front fenders by the door opening. Someday I might turn it into a 427 thunderbolt clone.

 

my brother picked this one up for $4600 last month off craigs list. Running and driving.
I always do a search for 1950, 1951 .... etc. Found a few similar deals that way.

 

This one is a project now BUT for 5k'z I will make it start, run, drive, steer & stop! Will even put some HAMB friendly wheels on her! Stock 6 rebuilt, 3 speed on the floor with an opptional 3 speed overdrive unit.............................

 

'60-'63 Falcons, two or four doors are in decent supply. '64's seem to go for a little more.

 

Locally a 64 Wildcat 4 door for 1200 drive it home. rather rough looking but it could be a good driver. Also a 66 (same body as earlier trucks) C10 Chevy for 1000 in Walla Walla.

A guy should probably have better luck just keeping an eye out for vehicles that fit the criteria that have for sale signs on them though. You might not find a two door hardtop but there should be plenty of drivable pickups sedans and long roofs that are well under 5k that a guy can actually jump in and drive every day with minimal extra work.

 

Shoot me a PM if you like.

 

right at 5 grand, six banger and a tall gear, gets phenominal mileage and sure looks the part. good solid old car that still turns heads.

 

Seeing as there's a lot of Imperial love going on in this thread, consider this car.

http://appleton.craigslist.org/cto/2523840126.html

Granted, it sounds like it's gonna need the transmission gone through. But if you've got a budget of $5K, you could buy this car, pay someone to pick it up, have the transmission rebuilt, and swap on some new wheels without having to turn a single wrench or break the budget. Plus, it's a coupe and a really pretty color.

That might be the plan for someone wanting a great deal who doesn't want to stick in the work. Buy a project that just needs one or two specific things fixed to be driveable, then take it directly to a reputable shop and have those things corrected right away.

Stuff is always cheaper if it needs work, any work, but it seems like some people are in the frame of mind that they either have to buy a car that's functional as-is, or they'll have to do the work themselves. Set your budget, buy low, then have someone else fix it. A few weeks in the shop is better than spending a few years trying to find the right car that's already up and running.

 

I would say the 46-48 Plymouths.

This was on the P15 site recently for a $5600 asking price. Have seen others for around this price as well, not as nice as this one but drivers none the less.

 

40's 50's and 60's non muscle mopars can be had running and driving for that and less.

Studebakers are out there, AMC stuff, Internationnal trucks, etc

 

Ramblers always seem to be hovering in the $2-3k range.

I paid $2100 for my '66 Classic. 232ci 6, 3spd auto...new tires and valve cover gasket, my daily driver as i bought it for 7 months.

 

Paid $3000 for our 58 Edsel villager from the 'bay several years ago. A gastank and brakework made it a runner for about a year. Wiring issues have had it parked for now. It'll get back on the road soon.

 

I had a '64 Rambler american wagon, 6 banger three speed with o/d a couple of years ago that I had way less than three in. One of the most dependable little cars I've ever owned, solid as a rock and got phenominal gas mileage. All it needed was interior work and a quick respray- would've been well under 5k, even doing that.

 

I'm surprised no one has mentioned F1 pickups yet! They're all over the place for around the magic number... way less if you want to do a little work. 5k would take this baby home in a heartbeat, been daily driving it almost every day since may.

 

Was offered a 42 ford pickup 2 weeks ago for $3000-, solid Texas truck had flattie removed years ago for paint and then never put back together. extra flathead in box. 3k and a weekend or two and a great driver would be on the road.

 

Bought "THE SLED" for $3500.00 on craiglist 4 yrs ago.

 

Figure on if you want a good driver under $5,000 you'll be sticking to a four door or one of the not super-popular models or years.

However, the term "driver" varies considerably between guys. To some guys a driver is a thing they barely got going and its 'twist wires to start', and a fuel can on the roof. On the other end of the spectrum, theres the guy that calls an older restoration, less then absolutelty perfect restoration, or a very nice survivor a "driver".

Finding one of them in the later catagories is where it is, if one wants a deal. Avoid stuff like the plague if its 'barely' a driver, as cost to make it reliable will be just as much as starting with a rough car anyways. 99% of most 'drivers' I see for sale fit into the "barely" catagory. To me a driver is something that is reliable, safe, and can be driven on a regular basis like a 5 or 10 year old used car: will need fixing and maintance, but not on like life 9.9 of a cat's 9 lives.

 

I keep an eye on Craigslist here, there's usually a pre-64 T-Bird, Falcon, Dart, etc. on there for under $5K, and plenty of decent pre-64 trucks for half that. If you want something road ready from the 50's for that it's probably gonna be a four door.

Speaking of that, there's a decent looking 57 Chevy 4 door on there now for $5K firm. I'm no four door fan but that seems like a bargain to me.

 

picked this up a month ago for under 5k. solid runner

 

Yea, mid-1930's+ mopars can usually be found pretty cheap too. Mom paid just over 5k for this 38 2dr, and it needs a few things like paint, a tune up, and tires... but ZERO rust, and only 15k miles on it!

 

A lot of this depends on geography. A $5000 car in the dry southwest is going to be a lot more car than a $5000 car in the salty northeast. That being said, I’ve been shocked at what’s come up searching local Craigslist lately for under two-thousand dollars. There’s a ‘63 Chevy C10 I want really bad - somebody started to rat rod it, but that’s nothing a little paint wouldn’t fix.

My Falcon fits square in this category too. Great cars, and much in common with Mustangs, so they’re pretty well covered for parts, unlike some of the orphans you might find in this price range.

-Dave

 

1961-66 Thunderbirds. Just about every one of them has power brakes, steering, windows, A/C, and plenty of get up. If your wiring doesn't give you trouble they're actually pretty reliable to! Plus they're all two door hardtops. I've had 5 now and they're one of the only cars I would trust my fiance, mom, or sister to just jump in and go if they wish, and many good examples out there under $5000.

 

Good thread...my wife and I want to come see your wide open spaces in a couple of years and we would rather spend $5K or so on a H.A.M.B. friendly car that would get us across the country than any modern hire blimp.Possibly something cool that we could steal away from your shores at the end of our trip. It seems feelings are mixed on whether you can get a good un for that kind of money, but I'm a glass half full kinda guy and I'd love to see your country in a ride befitting the occaision.
I guess when the time is near I'll post something on here calling you guys out who have appropriate stuff on the block.

By the looks of what you all are posting there are some good rides available in this range....hope that holds out for the next little while.

 

This, for example......no way would you get this car for less than NZ$30K back here......I could meander slowly down Route 66 in this no problem.

And steal it away to NZ afterwards...

 

Here's my advice, I'm not going to suggest any single car, there are plenty out there you can find for under 5K, buy something that's reliable and got a decent enough body you can live with, and leave it alone! Keep it running, and don't do anything major to it. It sucks going to events without a vehicle.

If you don't have a truck, I'd suggest a 50-60s truck. Cheap to be had, and useful.

Once you got a driver, start on a hot rod or custom project.

 

This was $2200. I had to fly to San Diego and drive it 2400 miles home, and it needs floors and paint. But even with that and the vacation, I'll be in it for less than 5k. My only regret is we didn't stay in Sunset Beach...forever.

 

I bought my '60 Plymouth Savoy 5 years ago for $2200. 1 owner with 17k actual miles. I had to put a couple of hundred in it to make it reliable. It has a /6 with 3 on the tree with ever documentation paper work from the dealer.