Classic/vintage car as a daily driver.

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cerb

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I’m curious how many of you use your classic/vintage car as a daily driver? I own a 1965 Valiant and a 1994 Buick Park Avenue, the Buick is my daily driver. It’s old enough to be considered a classic (special rules apply) car over here, although it really is to be considered a modern car. There are far bigger differences between the Buick and the -65 Valiant than between the Buick and a gasoline powered car from 2024.

I have been considering using the Valiant as a daily driver during the summer months.
 
I drive my 64 Valiant (Vixen) almost daily if the weather is good. Not because I'm "afraid" of gettin her wet, but because she has a leaking passenger door seal. So Vixen stays in the wind.
 
With the price of gas in Sweden, you’re brave to be considering the Valiant as a daily driver, even if it does have the slant 6! How many km would you be putting on it?
 
cerb said:
I’m curious how many of you use your classic/vintage car as a daily driver? I own a 1965 Valiant and a 1994 Buick Park Avenue, the Buick is my daily driver. It’s old enough to be considered a classic (special rules apply) car over here, although it really is to be considered a modern car. There are far bigger differences between the Buick and the -65 Valiant than between the Buick and a gasoline powered car from 2024.

I have been considering using the Valiant as a daily driver during the summer months.
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I drove a stock more door /6 65 valiant beater for 8 years in the early 2000's as a daily winter and summer car here in Ontario Canada no problem at all, pretty sure the only thing I had to replace was a water pump.
 
I currently drive a 1997 Thunderbird as my daily driver, previously I was daily driving my 1990 Bronco before I sold it.
I used my 1970 Dart 360/727 as my daily driver from April to October for several years, including vacation trips.
 
I mean no offense, but it's a car that's designed to be a daily driver, why couldn't you? probably could daily a Model T if you really wanted to. It's just not gonna have some of the modern conveniences.
 
H22A4 said:
With the price of gas in Sweden, you’re brave to be considering the Valiant as a daily driver, even if it does have the slant 6! How many km would you be putting on it?
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I drive the Buick 20 000 km per year.
 
cerb said:
I’m curious how many of you use your classic/vintage car as a daily driver? I own a 1965 Valiant and a 1994 Buick Park Avenue, the Buick is my daily driver. It’s old enough to be considered a classic (special rules apply) car over here, although it really is to be considered a modern car. There are far bigger differences between the Buick and the -65 Valiant than between the Buick and a gasoline powered car from 2024.

I have been considering using the Valiant as a daily driver during the summer months.
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Every day, everywhere.

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cerb said:
I’m curious how many of you use your classic/vintage car as a daily driver? I own a 1965 Valiant and a 1994 Buick Park Avenue, the Buick is my daily driver. It’s old enough to be considered a classic (special rules apply) car over here, although it really is to be considered a modern car. There are far bigger differences between the Buick and the -65 Valiant than between the Buick and a gasoline powered car from 2024.

I have been considering using the Valiant as a daily driver during the summer months.
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I used to, until I got my '16 scat pack charger.
heated seats
automatic windshield wipers
radar adjusting cruise control
air conditioning IN THE SEATS
automatic dimming rear view mirror
8 speed transmission
bright headlights and I HAVE the Crackedback headlight relay kit in my 68 barracuda
superb suspension
superb braking
very good sound system
If a fat chick falls out of an airliner and lands on it, I can easily get another.
 
could i drive a classic daily? sure.. i can't be bothered though.. i prefer my subaru these days. 30 mpg, a/c, great heat, and every other modern conveince of it. plus the 80 mile round trip on 295 beats the hell out of it.
 
I can't say I'd drive my Duster daily because it's a rowdy street/strip car with a solid roller cam, a roll bar a 4,500 rpm converter and zero creature comforts but when my driver cars (like my '72 Challenger) actually run, I use them as often as possible. Cars are meant to be driven not to sit.

If it's a question of mileage, my 2017 Ram is no great shakes and usually only gets 15-16mpg around town. My old '01 Cherokee 6 cylinder got about the same. Retrofit EFI helps mileage a bit if you're willing to invest the time to tune it. Modern drivelines also are capable of slightly better mileage. Overdrive transmissions and highway gears go a long way as well.

The one thing I will agree on is that it sucks to drive any car "normally" in the summer without a/c. I won't put A/C in my Duster because it wouldn't make sense but my Challenger is a 100% street car (original a/c car) so it's going back in for sure. I like to be comfortable, nothing wrong with that. It's also getting EFI and an overdrive trans. Thinking about sound deadening/heat insulation as well. My plan is to drive it as often as possible when it's back together because why not?

Life is too short to drive boring vehicles.
 
I like to drive mine daily. But, I recently hit a deer, and then a concrete barrier with my '72 Chevelle. I wish I had air bags and modern crush zones. I wound up in the hospital for four days, with injuries that probably wouldn't have happened in my Impala. Sorry, but that is the other side of enjoying our hobby cars daily.

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44070dart said:
I like to drive mine daily. But, I recently hit a deer, and then a concrete barrier with my '72 Chevelle. I wish I had air bags and modern crush zones, as I wound up in the hospital for four days, with injuries that probably wouldn't have happened in my Impala. Sorry, but that is the other side of enjoying our hobby cars daily.

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I’m sorry that happened. Yes, safety is really my only concern. I’ll at least install seatbelts in the Valiant. It has none!
 
Back before I really retired, I drove a number of Dusters, from 318s to slants, for about a 20 year period, (like about 1995 to 2015) as many as 120 miles per day. Never less than 40. Non were "restored", never broke down once, ( had some carb issues and replaced a timing chain once to keep em running), never had a flat ( ran used tires only), never had a defective ECU or bad points or ballast, I did run out of gas a coupler of times due to non working gauge). Maybe I am just "lucky"!???
 
hemi71x said:
Look at Cuba, to this day they're still driving 50's and 60's cars as daily drivers without any difficulties.
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They didn’t have much of a choice since the supply of new cars was cut off unless they were shipped over from Europe/Asia.
 
I daily an m body shitbox. It's not a classic, it's just old. Low 20s mpg ain't bad but the 2.2somthing rear end and 3 speed auto has me holding up traffic.
 
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