[1968_Injunhed]

I drive my '68 Firebird every day to work, unless it snows...lately I'm trying to keep it out of the rain, as well, since both front and rear window channels leak water. Yet another job in the body resto of this car.

[Droptop64]

I used to have a '57 Chevy that was slammed, and if the weather was good, it was being used. I drove it to work every day the sun was out. I recently bought a 64 GTO convertible, and I do the same with that. The GTO is completely restored except for some wierd reason, the previous owner decided to leave the suspension alone. It is getting new springs, bushings, all the other front end parts, and new boxed rear arms and sway bar. The brakes are going to be upgraded to power front disc. I will also be running Torquethrust II's and some decent radials and pue the original redlines and spinners in storage for shows. Any modification made will be easily unboltable so the car can be returned to stock. I think the cars should be driven. That's the best part of owning one.

[ricbrooks2]

I have a 1972 Grandville convertible with a 455 that I was driving 120 miles per day to work and back. Car ran great mileage wasn't good but that's about it. If you can afford the gas go for it. Anybody that has the time and money to get a 4 speed automatic put in the car could enjoy 18-20 mpg. Mine got about 13 mpg with teh cam and all I had.

[habu2]

My daily driver is a 1985 H*nda CR-X with 282,000+ miles. Engine has never been apart (aside from timing belt replacements) and my last tank of gas netted me 38 MPG.

What I save on gas and car and insurance payments lets me afford my Pontiac addiction...

[tininjun67]

I drive a 65 chevy stepside with a pontiac 400 in it. I drive 40 to 70 miles per day average. It gets about 14 mpg now. Almost everything I do to it now is in an effort at better gas mileage. I like the idea of driving something that's 40 years old. It's ultra cheap to maintain, and parts are still available for it. The idea of paying 30-40k for a car is just ridiculous in my mind.

[az67goat]

My 1995 Mercury Tracer engine quit...internal or bottom end failure. Paid 1600 for it, got 19 months out of it.
I'm driving the 67 GTO temporarily. 13 mpg means I'm spending $8.65 per day on gas.
This won't continue for long. Looked at a 2000 Chevy Metro last night...$2700 + tx & l, 51000 miles, 40 mpg. Drives like new.
I'll probably buy it tonight.

[sixt8bird]

This is my wifes daily driver and when shes not driving it , I do.

[uneasyrider]

If you can find a nice lower miles '70s car to use as a DD I see no reason not to. Generally all of the parts (alt., brakes, engine parts, etc.) are still readily available through the local NAPA store. The biggest thing I would look for is electronic ignition and if it didn't have it put it in. I started working on cars back in '80 so a lot of the '60's (even some '50's) and of course '70's cars were still on the road. The greatest thing IMO to happen to cars (other than modern computer controlled engine with port injection) to increase reliability is electronic ignition. Those cars were driven every day then and they will still do the same thing today but maybe with a little less creature comfort and quality control than today’s cars. IMO the fit and finish on today’s cars is FAR better than the cars from the '70's and '80's. I think I would have to go back to the cars from the mid '60's and before to find something close to the overall fit and finish as the new cars. I don't think that I like the traction control but I think ABS isn't a bad thing. I still think one of the best overall driving cars I ever had (and it got 18mpg) was my 1979 Z28. It started in all weather conditions and handled and drove very nicely. The fit and finish was not what today’s cars have though.

[sixt8bird]

Whats wrong with high milage 70s or even 60s like my 1968 shown in previous post. It has 528,000 miles and counting.

[78 GHOST]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Sixt8bird:
Whats wrong with high milage 70s or even 60s like my 1968 shown in previous post. It has 528,000 miles and counting. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

HOLY CRAP!!! I thought I was the only one who hung onto my cars a long time.

[Squidward]

My 73 Formula is my daily driver, and has approx 180,000 on it (about 43K since I bought it in '99). I still think about my wife's ride ('01 GMC Jimmy) and how much $$$ I lose each day it sits in the driveway due to depreciation. I have sunk way less into my bird than I have paid in interest on the Jimmy, and I have put well over twice as many miles on the bird.

I frequently get positive comments on the bird, whereas no one even gives a second glance to the "soccer mom-mobile". Yes, gas cost sucks, but I am still dollars ahead and I love to drive my Pontiac even with all of it's rattles, squeaks, and leaks.

I fully agree, tho, with previous posters who drive the crap out of a used chevy or honda so they can pump all of their real coin into their Pontiac. Unfortunately, all of my real coin goes to the wife & kids, so I get to feed my Pontiac habit via the only way I can - by using my poncho as daily transportation.

[sixt8bird]

Nope you arent the only one. I bought this car in 1980 out of a wrecking yard for $300 and then painted it all red. I just repainted it myself last summer and went with the two tone since it was a rare two tone from the factory. Lucky I saved the chrome all those years. This car has seen duty hauling construction supplies for years and just reacently my wife carried bails of hay in the trunk. I was pissed!!!! Since I redid the car myself and it was sooooo much work that took place in a record 3 weeks. This included new seats and door panels, two new quarters and two patches on the fenders, paint and body work!!!!.

[Zig'sbird]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Catalina Dave:
Anyone among you all use a vehicle from the 70s as a daily driver? All opinions welcome. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I drive a 1976 Cutlass Supreme every day. The only real problem with it is it's gas milage

Other than that, I love it.

[uneasyrider]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Sixt8bird:
Whats wrong with high milage 70s or even 60s like my 1968 shown in previous post. It has 528,000 miles and counting. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Nothing.

[mike nixon]

when i have one together i drive an old pontiac daily in decent weather [no snow / salt ect].

if no pontiac then my 88 cougar with 350k on it and counting.

in the winter it's one of the late 70's 4x4's that i have.

the wife's car is an 87 olds 88 with around 80k on it.


all are dependable and have no payments.

mike

[PMDRACER]

I drive my wife's '69 LeMans every day. I only have a 6 mile commute so gas mileage be damned!

I would drive my '71 every day to work like I used to if the f%*#ing morons in my building would pay attention when they open their doors.

[66catalina]

I drive my 66 catalina every day unless its snowing out. In an emergency I drive it then. Luckily it came with studded snow tires when I bought it.

-Nick

[63surfinsafari]

I am glad someone started this topic. I got 200k on my current car and I really don't like any newer vehicles besides, firebird, 95 impala and corvette. I figure dumping 5k into my safari would be way better in insurance alone considering its going to cost me minimum 200 bucks a month to insure any newer model v8. Not to mention they are way too high priced.

Its so expensive to have any fun!

[J_JAMNIK]

I have driven a 68 Bonneville wagon as a daily driver for the past 7 years(except during engine rebuild). It isn't pretty, but people think that it's pretty cool. The best part is it seats 9, people will not pull in front of you, I can park it and not worry about door dings (and I tell my kids to be careful not to hit the other cars when opening the doors), insurance is cheap, and it is capable of 20 mpg on the highway if I drive 60 mph. It always starts, I can put six sheets of 4' x 8' sheetrock or plywood in the back and still shut the tailgate, and people stay out of my way, wait, I already said that. If you can't work on your own car, an old car isn't for you. The labor cost for all of the neccesary work that I have done is well over $12,000 and the parts would be outrageous because repair shops don't let you bring your own parts. The transmission rebuild and the 2 1/4" exhaust is the two things that I have paid to have done (I removed the trans myself to save the extra $150). The down side is I have to lift the hood about twice per month and last baby I had the valet at the hospital didn't want to park the car. I don't have to carry a spare axle with me any more(pressed on RW408BR bearing) since I replaced the entire rear end that caught fire(backlash is very important here I found out)! You should have seen the look on the lady's face that saw my rear wheel axle snap and stop to help when I pulled a spare rear axle out of the back! She couldn't believe it when I was on my way 15 minutes later. When I get safety inspections I pay 12.50 and don't have to wait for all the emmissions testing crap!

[Bull]

Well, I enjoyed this thread (of course, I starterd it!) Seriously though, I appreciated the diversity of opinions, and discovering the fact that some of you are using old iron daily.

I made the plunge and bought a '78 Grand Lemans to use as a daily driver, parking my expensive-to-maintain Volvo in the garage, to be used only on long trips. It feels good...I can be pretty sure wherever I go that no one else will have the same car, it's relatively cheap to insure, and for a Chebby 305 it has decent pickup, especially when compared to the inline 6 cylinder in my fiance's '78 Monarch. There are minor issues to deal with already, but that's cool, it comes with the territory