LOT of cheap houses in Florida; no state income tax either. Just a lack of guys with talent. Tupperware cars are popular here too.
If NH has a smog exempt cutoff (1970's), I'd go this route; Buy a rusty 49-51 Merc 4 dr. with ***le. Should be able to get this for around $2000. Sell the front clip, body, etc. Keep the ch***is, bumpers, dash and interior parts you'd need. Buy a wrecked/totaled late model for the drivetrain and wiring harness. Build the ch***is (and send it out to be galvanized?). Buy a fibergl*** 49-51 Merc body. If you're patient and lucky, you may find a used one/abandoned project for reasonable $$$. You might consider running the original steel front clip. Undercoat the **** out of the body. ***led as a vintage merc, but with modern drivetrain. Essentially a Street Rod set up.
It was just a quick readers ride in rod and custom back in the early 2000's sometime, but I recall seeing a guy in canada somewhere built a fibergl*** 32 tudor with a 2.3 FI motor and 5 speed manual into a winter driver. He insulated the hell out of it and ran a heat/defrost/ac system from somewhere and just switched from traditional wheels to modern ford cop car wheels with snow tires in winter. I only drive 5 miles round trip to work and back, and I take all main city streets that are kept well plowed. I can definately see driving a "winter rod" in my situation. If you have a longer commute or drive some roads that aren't well plowed, it would just be too much to mess with for me.
Ok. just for the record, I am not wealthy by any means! Yes I have seen fender less cars in the rain, rode choppers with no/short fenders in the rain as well. And as for the $25K remark it is just an average cost of a mid sized egg sedan no matter what continent it came from. This idea stems from me buying a $1k - $2K winter beater/ daily every 2-4 years. I drive 90 miles a day 5 - 6 days a week for my job. that is 10 - 12 hours a day in a ride that I despise for the last 15 years! If I spent $25K on a new car it would last me 12 years on average soo why not spend it on something I like, try and make it last longer than the egg would, and be happier for it. I can't bring myself to drive something that would be worth something (like the 70 chevelle SS clone car I bought and sold though I thought about it). so it came down to a plastic rod bodied car. Everyone may be right, a mild steel ch***is, stainless suspension, exhaust, brake line components, modern drive train, and a gl*** body fit the bill. I could make a removeable cycle fender set for winter just like the hood sides. As for the plow truck incident that may happen? would I fare any better in my rust bucket 99 buick with 167K miles? maybe, maybe not. I think it is worth looking into. I take inspiration from my father in law who has daily driven a 47 ford pick up for 32 years. Abeit he does only drive 7 miles one way to his shop that he has run for the last 41 years. It is a flat head, 4spd mostly stock truck. It has been rebuilt twice and has been parked the last 2 years due to needing fender patches again and rear spring hanger broke on both sides.
Not my style, but for a daily driver in the winter? http://www.streetlegaltv.com/forum/volvo-powered-all-wheel-drive-deuce-2555.html
For a ch***is you could just use mild steel, get everything welded up on it, and once everything is set, have it hot dipped galvanized. They do fencing and guardrails, so there should be some place that could do something that big. Then paint it afterwards. In actuallity, it may be cheaper to buy a clean western 8ft box 60's pickup, undercoat it well and drive it until it rots away, then get another. It would still be cheaper than a new truck and the depreciation.
The Jalopy Journal
