I’ve been searching for an older car with character on a budget for a couple years. Although I’ll daydream about a GTO, 442, or Chevelle…I like a wide variety of cars up through the 80’s. Just looking for something that wouldn’t bother me if it got scratched, someone with basic repair skills could learn on and have fun with, and not get ripped off for 10-12k. Seems difficult to find something in between shiny/expensive and nightmare rust bucket. I would of course have the mechanic I trust check it out. Any advice?
I would definitely say It's all about who you know and what you want. I paid $750 for my '79 Catalina last year and bought it from my girlfriend's dad. Car sat in a big gravel driveway for 3-5 years and he wanted to get rid of it. It needed tires, a full brake job and a new battery. I bought the battery and put it in, to see if it would start, before I bought it. With starting fluid it ran on the old gas. We didn't touch the carb.
I did the brake work myself with $300 in OEM parts and got 70s style white wall tires for $400. I drove the car to work 2-3x a week over the summer, learned how to adjust a carburetor, etc. all from Scotty and this group. I had the speedometer head rebuilt recently, that cost $250. I've been tinkering with little things here and there when I have time.
@Rod-iron is 100% correct, they can become money pits and swallow you whole if you aren't careful. All of the money I've spent on my car has been cash from work bonuses, or my paychecks that I would normally waste on other things. I don't put anything for it on credit cards. I wouldn't advise it at all, spending gets out of control quickly when you combine credit cards and car mods/ repairs.
As far as what kind of car to buy, I would say get a Ford, GM or Chrysler product. They're relatively straightforward to work on and parts are available everywhere. I bought my brake master cylinder from autozone in town.
Thanks for all the advice everyone, I’ll definitely have plenty more questions if I pull the trigger on something. And that barn finds site is pretty cool.
This may be a long shot but try contacting Goodwill, Salvation Army and St Vincent dePaul for their sales of donated vehicles. You might find a diamond in the rough.
You can't do old cars on a budget. They are old and things will break and if you're not carefully so will your bank account.
i saw this one that i thought was interesting
https://atlanta.craigslist.org/nat/cto/d/smyrna-1965-pontiac-catalina-ventura/7460325295.html
maybe hang around car folks and pick up some leads on something you are interested in
love this one, but the price is too spicy for me
https://lexington.craigslist.org/cto/d/berea-1966-ford-f100-custom-cab/7455863966.html
You will need to look long and hard and far to find a decent affordable classic. Just be prepared to be a true at home mechanic. I have had my share of classics and still look myself. Most just out of site $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Buy something that's too old to be considered as daily driver, but not old enough to be a collectors car - many 90's Japanese cars fit this bill.
3rd gen camaro? noone expects perfection from those, and the possibilities are endless with a chevy 350. I believe theyre all fuel injection too, which can be a step up from a carb in terms of mpg and maintenance. Although im not very familiar with that system in particular.
