My almost 17yo dd wants this post-war VINTAGE CAR!

[scottyrocks]

The idea that big old cars are safer is a popular misconception.

Imagine running into a brick with an anvil in front of you, at a given speed. That's an old car.

Then imagine running into the same brick wall at the same speed with a mattress in front of you. Thats a modern car with crumple zones. Less likely to cause brain injury due to less of a sudden decleration.

 

[chanteuseCarey]

Thanks to EVERYONE who put in their views on this thread. Well noted. By and large, my dd is merely wishin' and dreaming of having and driving a vintage car. Its really me, Mama that wants a vintage car- a 1936 Packard straight six. And us all going to the ADSC's Gatsby Summer Afternoon and many other deco/WWII era events seeing all the wonderful cars. So I guess I'm to blame for helping to put the idea into her head!

She'll be learning to drive my 2007 Toyota Yaris with an automatic drive.

 

[Amy Jeanne]

If my daughter wanted an old car I would tell her to wait until she got some driving years under her belt and I would also make her do her research. I'd want her to know all about how different they are from today's cars, both safety-wise and mechanics-wise. My child owning an older car wouldn't be totally ruled out -- I just wouldn't have them learn to drive on it nor would I get them one as a first car or primary vehicle.

Now me -- 20 years driving experience and I am ready for an old car, but my dad always goes back to that steering wheel column scare!!! I also don't really have the money, storage, or know-how so I will just dream for now.

 

[Lily Powers]

Best advice I can give is to make sure she knows a little bit about automotive maintenance, adjusting the carburetor and such. Stuff like that can happen on the road and need to be addressed promptly. Easy to learn, though.

18 gallons? That's all? My pickup has a 34 lol

Wow! You have quite the tank, my friend! Is it an older model?

 

[Lily Powers]

...As to safety....well, that depends on your point of view. Yes, if you hit anything else in these cars, it's like the Queen Mary hitting a rowboat....but these aren't 'safety cages' like those rowboats have. You will either hit your steering wheel, or your steel dashboard.

If you install lapstap seatbelts (like most of us have to, as they did't come with seatbelts), there's a couple things to consider. The body is of course attached to the frame. The steering wheel and column is part of the frame.

SOOoo, where do you attach the lapstrap? You attach to the main seat frame, you get involved in a headon collision and body snaps from the frame, you will get nailed by the steering column. Ok, so with that in mind, you decide to attach to the frame through the floorboard and get caught in the same collision situation, you'll still be attached to the frame, but the seat and car body will move forward with you being mashed by your seatbelt....

I don't know if you dissuaded Carey or her 17-yo daughter, but you sure scared the bejeebers out of me! :eeek:

 

[AtomicEraTom]

1996 Chevy Silverado. Not my favorite vehicle I've ever owned, but I enjoy the 4 wheel drive in these lousy Wisconsin winters.

Wow! You have quite the tank, my friend! Is it an older model?

In my teens I had vintage cars all the time, but my dad, brother, and I are car savvy and knew what to do to fix a problem. Also, I lived at home, if the old car took a dump and was out of commission for a week, I took Mom and Dad's car for a couple days. Now, I buy vintage cars now and then, but I always have a modern, fuel injected car with all the amenities 'just in case' and of course for salt on the road season.

 

[Michaelson]

LOL! Well, Lilly, I wasn't trying to scare anyway....but most folks gloss over the facts as they really are, and just look at things like with through rose colored glasses. They're beasts, and honestly in a day to day world (which I DO deal with) of driving (mine is my work vehicle and driven every day), there are good days, and there are bad days.

More items....pneumatic windshield wipers operate on vaccum lines coming from the engine. If the engine is running cool, or the weather is particularily damp, the wipers will not work. They stop working anytime the car is going up a hill as the vaccum is reduced and the line won't produce enough pressure to run the wipers yet again.

They are as aerodynamic as a brick. I can tell anytime there is a breeze, as it actually moves the car as I drive down the road. I tried rain-x on the windsheld once, thinking I had figured a 'work around' about the wipers. Things is, what makes rain-x work is the wind coming across the glass will push/blow the water OFF your windshield. In the case of these MOPAR body styles, the front and side of the hood are air dams which actually push the air to the side of the car. I've been in high wind before and have had NOTHING move on my windshield.

I'm still amazed I get the gas mileage I get consider how much air I'm pushing as I drive down the road.

As has been stated SO well above, the suspension is like nothing you've ever driven before, if you've never driven an 'old car'. Good or bad, they are very loose in feel. That's why they have such huge steering wheels. No power steering, and with the loose suspension, if you had a smaller steering wheel, you'd probably dislocate a shoulder trying to guide them around corners. (grins)

All this said, though, as long as you approach one KNOWING you're facing old technology, and recognize it as such, they're fun to drive and own......but when you have to depend on one everyday, or as your primary vehicle, well......you get the idea.

Fortunately my wife drives our 2005 Malibu to work everyday. 'Dad' always gets to drive things like this.

Did I mention the heaters in these are worthless? That's another story.....but explains what a 'car coat' was REALLY for....to keep you from freezing your keyster off in winter! Oh, and turn signals were an option until the mid 50's on these cars.

Do you remember how to give hand signals? It's fun in winter. I drive with my window down year round.....rain, snow, sleet, hail, my window is down and I'm frantically giving hand signals in HOPES that the clown tail-gating me trying to figure out what I'm driving doesn't plow into my trunk. I've had more near misses than I care to remember.

But on sort of a good note, anytime you drive one, prepare to add at least 30 minutes or more to any trip where you have to stop at, say, the post office or gas station. You will be approached by at least 2 people wanting to either ask you about your car, or tell you about the one THEIR Dad, or grandpa had.

Recently I had a lady, a complete stranger, walk up to me in our post office and thank me for driving that car in. I was puzzled, but she explained she had been having a bad week, family and personal problems, and heard me drive up in my car. (Plymouth's have a unique exhaust sound, especially the old flathead 6's), and she said her grandmother had the exact same Special Deluxe as mine. Same year too. She said she heard that engine, and it immediately brought back memories of her grandmother and many MANY good memories from the late 50's with her.

She said, 'thank you. I feel SO much better after seeing and hearing your car. I really needed that.'

Talk about humbling.

Like I said, don't let my rambling scare anyone off.....just go into this venture with wide open eyes, and understand, they're fun, and get a lot of appreciative stares and waves anywhere you drive them....but they can put you in dire straits (or flat out kill you) at the drop of a hat if you aren't in complete command of them every moment you're near them, or behind that wheel.

That point I can not stress more strongly than that. Enjoy them, but respect them. Nostalgia is great, but there's a reason Detroit engineers kept working on improved designs each year.

Regards! Michaelson

 

[kpreed]

LOL! Well, Lilly, I wasn't trying to scare anyway....but most folks gloss over the facts as they really are, and just look at things like with through rose colored glasses. They're beasts, and honestly in a day to day world (which I DO deal with) of driving (mine is my work vehicle and driven every day), there are good days, and there are bad days.

More items....pneumatic windshield wipers operate on vaccum lines coming from the engine. If the engine is running cool, or the weather is particularily damp, the wipers will not work. They stop working anytime the car is going up a hill as the vaccum is reduced and the line won't produce enough pressure to run the wipers yet again.

They are as aerodynamic as a brick. I can tell anytime there is a breeze, as it actually moves the car as I drive down the road. I tried rain-x on the windsheld once, thinking I had figured a 'work around' about the wipers. Things is, what makes rain-x work is the wind coming across the glass will push/blow the water OFF your windshield. In the case of these MOPAR body styles, the front and side of the hood are air dams which actually push the air to the side of the car. I've been in high wind before and have had NOTHING move on my windshield.

I'm still amazed I get the gas mileage I get consider how much air I'm pushing as I drive down the road.

As has been stated SO well above, the suspension is like nothing you've ever driven before, if you've never driven an 'old car'. Good or bad, they are very loose in feel. That's why they have such huge steering wheels. No power steering, and with the loose suspension, if you had a smaller steering wheel, you'd probably dislocate a shoulder trying to guide them around corners. (grins)

All this said, though, as long as you approach one KNOWING you're facing old technology, and recognize it as such, they're fun to drive and own......but when you have to depend on one everyday, or as your primary vehicle, well......you get the idea.

Fortunately my wife drives our 2005 Malibu to work everyday. 'Dad' always gets to drive things like this.

Did I mention the heaters in these are worthless? That's another story.....but explains what a 'car coat' was REALLY for....to keep you from freezing your keyster off in winter! Oh, and turn signals were an option until the mid 50's on these cars.

Do you remember how to give hand signals? It's fun in winter. I drive with my window down year round.....rain, snow, sleet, hail, my window is down and I'm frantically giving hand signals in HOPES that the clown tail-gating me trying to figure out what I'm driving doesn't plow into my trunk. I've had more near misses than I care to remember.

Like I said, don't let my rambling scare anyone off.....just go into this venture with wide open eyes, and understand, they're fun, and get a lot of appreciative stares and waves anywhere you drive them....but they can put you in dire straits (or flat out kill you) at the drop of a hat if you aren't in complete command of them every moment you're near them, or behind that wheel.

That point I can not stress more strongly than that. Enjoy them, but respect them. Nostalgia is great, but there's a reason Detroit engineers kept working on improved designs each year.

Regards! Michaelson

Very well said! As a daily driver, vintage autos are a big problem. I have always had and drove and loved my pre-1950 model cars and they always did great by me, but for safety a newer car is so much better in many ways. Just do not look as cool.Think about it !!!
P.S. Many of my cars had no heater from the factory, defrosted my windshield with open windwings.

 

[mrbieler]

That's tough. Would be a blast to own and putter around in, but as has been said far better then I can in previous posts, old cars are a significant down side most just don't get. Performance is VERY different then anything she's been in. Maintenance and upkeep another very different world. Try even finding a decent carburetor guy around if you can't do it yourself. They are a dying breed.

You have to plan your moves and situation out as you drive. Your brakes aren't as good as everyone else's so you have to be VERY aware of the other cars on the road, plan you turns and stops, etc. Your acceleration isn't as good either. Merging and passing are things you need to think about and plan for.

Have had my share of vintage rides over the years. My last daily driver before I got a work car for daily use was a 1964 Land Rover IIA. Technology wise, right out of the late 1940's. Every move I made was calculated. Emergency stops were "interesting". Mysterious electrical and mechanical faults led to more then a few road side repairs. If you're ready for it, they're just annoying. If you're not, they are a PITA.

If you guys are a mechanically inclined and adventurous lot, have fun with it. It will be a labor of love. If it's just a fun toy you have to have, plan for a savings account to dive into to have someone turning wrenches for you on a regular occasion.

 

[AtomicEraTom]

It's a lot of fun when people stop and talk to you. I used to have people shout to me from other cars in traffic to tell me how much they love the vehicle. I used to cruise around in a 60 Chevy, a 57 Chevy, and a 31 Model A hot rod all the time. I can't wait to get my hands on another classic.