A while back, I think that the other major Pontiac board (which I don't frequent as much since finding this one) had a thread about using older cars as daily drivers. The responses there were varied, but many people indicated that the idea was bad for reasons such as safety, fuel economy, reliability etc. I have a '93 Volvo 945T wagon that I use as my daily driver. I like it, but maintenance costs are high...if you need to have anything other than really minor work done at the shop, your wallet is going to hurt. I just got the car back after having the water pump and radiator replaced, and the bill was a painful $750. Even if I had done the work myself, the parts themselves would have added up to about $400. That made me think...back in graduate school, I was using my '77 GP with a 455 to commute from Northampton, MA to Providence, RI twice a week (about 1.5 hours each way). The only thing that ever failed on that car was the cheap rebuilt alternator. Sure, I paid for a lot of gas, but that was it. She started in the coldest temps thanks to the Edelbrock carb with electric choke, she was fun, she had a stereo, and although she didn't have airbags, she felt solid and safe. Plus, I enjoyed tooling around in a car that you rarely see on the streets. Is it unreasonable for me to be thinking of picking up some mid-70s Pontiac, 2 or 4 door, to use as a daily driver, reserving the Volvo for long trips and therefore reducing wear and tear on that car? Anyone among you all use a vehicle from the 70s as a daily driver? All opinions welcome.
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