What vehicle is an ideal starter classic?

Chris Paukert

For someone looking to make the plunge into the world of classic car ownership, do you have a default recommendation? Obviously it depends on their needs/desires (whether they want a roadster, a sedan, or a pickup), as well as their mechanical aptitude, but there are obviously some vehicles that are better than others for the first-time classic car hobbyist. When recommending something to a first-timer, I tend to stick with newer, simpler vehicles like a gen-one Mazda Miata. Not only are they fairly basic and reliable, but there's also a plentiful spares and support market. That said, some don't look at a Miata as being old enough to qualify as a classic.

What say you?

Ducati Minor

Volkswagen Beetle

I would define a classic car as being an older vehicle going to the late 1970s and before. A default choice would be a Volkswagen Beetle. The Beetle is common, cheap, small, easy to repair, and has a plethora of research material, fan resources, and aftermarket parts. From a restoration to hot rodding, there is no better choice for a beginner than the People's Car. I would add any of the other vintage VWs to that list, too.

Mon, 07/14/2008 - 14:20
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Steve

My buddy and I both cut our teeth on late '70's MG Midgets during college... We'd spend hours in the garage wrenching on those things... God they're fun. Cheap as hell, easy to fix, parts everwhere, and personality enough to float the thing down the river. Great cars.

"There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing, and mountaineering; all the rest are merely games.”
- Ernest Hemingway

Mon, 07/14/2008 - 19:55
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JWBrothers

Like most other people, I'm a little confused about what constitutes
a classic car. I spent my Jr High years in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. One
of my classmates and friends during that time was the son of Glenn
Prey, who built 7/8 scale Cords in an old pickle factory. He (the
father) also intended to build a boat tail Duesenberg after the first 500 Cords. Well, he never got that far along, but he did have half a dozen Cords and Duesenbergs in various states of repair around his house. Since then, I've always thought Classic cars had to be Cords or Duesenbergs or Pierce Arrows or 16 Cylinder Packard's. Anyway, it had to be big and old and expensive.

Fast
forward 42 years... That puts you the 60s to early 70s cars. It's hard
to think of those as classic but there are some "milestone" cars I like
that are also comparatively rare.

Luxury cars-

1966 Ford Thunderbird

1963-64 Buick Riviara with a 403 Nailhead

1971 Buick Riviara (boat tail)

any 1959-64 Studibaker Hawk

1969-70 Pontiac Grand Prix SJ with a 428 (the S had a 400)

1966-67 Olds Toronado (all had 425s)

1967 Caddilac Eldorado

There are also a number of Muscle cars, (GTO,SS,442 etc.) Pony cars, (Mustang,Camaro, Barracuda,XR7 etc.) European roadsters, (MG,Triumph,Alfa,SL190-220 etc.) any Vette before 1974, and unusual and collectable cars. These could be anything from an early 70s Dune Buggy to a 1964 Dodge Dart GT (273 V8) to a 1969 Pontiac Firebird Sprint with an overhead cam, 240 HP straight 6.

Many Thanks

Jim

Sun, 08/03/2008 - 02:06
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Ducati Minor

I like the point JWBrothers made about what constitutes a classic automobile. Generally, a vehicle twenty-five years of age or older is considered of classic age. "Classic" is a subjective term that is usually something of a positive nature. Using "antique" or "vintage" is even more divisive. Using these phrases, it's still hard to consider a 1980s Ferrari Testarossa or a Porsche 928 a "classic," largely because of the heavy usage of computerized components (modern faire) and utilitarian aesthetics (then-modern faire than has not aged well).

A starter project should be cheap, simple to work on, and have a large selection of restoration parts and tuner options. That's why I picked the VW. The Beetle is compact, light, common, and just plain cheap. But you can still do so much with it to make it fun, fast, and frugal. The Ford Mustang is a good American alternative. It doesn't have as much of the ease as the Bug, but (with a small level of effort) you can have a sharp classic for $10K total.

Sun, 08/03/2008 - 21:27
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Dave B.

AH bugeye Sprite. Even simpler than a VW Beetle to maintain, and it's a blast to drive.

Mon, 08/04/2008 - 12:49
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JWBrothers

I would prefer something faster, more luxurious and less apt to break down than a Sprite, MG or even a Bug. I also prefer a car I can fit in. At 6'2"-285lbs, I'd have to have a giant shoe horn to fit in your suggested classic.

Many Thanks

Jim