Returning to the fold after... 30 years!
Discussion
Hi all,
Let me ramble a moment. I'm in my later 50's now, but when I was a younger man I had a 76 Camaro (6 pot) around 1983, and 1969 Mach 1 390 around 1984, and finally in 1988 I went to Florida and brought home a 84 Trans am with T tops.
Then sometime in the early 90's I got sensible, drove European cars and got on with a normal life. Meet the wife, bought a house had kids etc.
Got back into bikes, had a couple of Harley's, ran a Porsche 944, then a classic Audi cab, and now a 1998 Mercedes SL as a classic car alongside my daily drivers.
Now I'm thinking of getting back into a classic American car. Just waiting on a house move which I've told my wife must include a double garage to store such a classic (merc lives on the drive under a car cover in the winter, but its only a £10K car, and galvanized so not so precious)
Anyway.... I think my muscle car days are past me and I gravitate towards mid size cruizin' convertibles from the mid 60's period. Id have a budget of around £20K to £25K. Also I'd like something a little left of field, a Buick, Pontiac or Oldsmobile rather than Chevy or Ford. Saw a lovely mid sixties Parisianne convertible at an auction a while back, that would suit me perfectly.
Firstly can a decent car be bought for that price, I don't want a project, but I'm happy doing the day to day maintenance, and where would you put your money if it was you ?
Cheers
P.S. And yes I want another Harley to go with my Triumph Scrambler and Ducati Multistrada !
Let me ramble a moment. I'm in my later 50's now, but when I was a younger man I had a 76 Camaro (6 pot) around 1983, and 1969 Mach 1 390 around 1984, and finally in 1988 I went to Florida and brought home a 84 Trans am with T tops.
Then sometime in the early 90's I got sensible, drove European cars and got on with a normal life. Meet the wife, bought a house had kids etc.
Got back into bikes, had a couple of Harley's, ran a Porsche 944, then a classic Audi cab, and now a 1998 Mercedes SL as a classic car alongside my daily drivers.
Now I'm thinking of getting back into a classic American car. Just waiting on a house move which I've told my wife must include a double garage to store such a classic (merc lives on the drive under a car cover in the winter, but its only a £10K car, and galvanized so not so precious)
Anyway.... I think my muscle car days are past me and I gravitate towards mid size cruizin' convertibles from the mid 60's period. Id have a budget of around £20K to £25K. Also I'd like something a little left of field, a Buick, Pontiac or Oldsmobile rather than Chevy or Ford. Saw a lovely mid sixties Parisianne convertible at an auction a while back, that would suit me perfectly.
Firstly can a decent car be bought for that price, I don't want a project, but I'm happy doing the day to day maintenance, and where would you put your money if it was you ?
Cheers
P.S. And yes I want another Harley to go with my Triumph Scrambler and Ducati Multistrada !
Something like that Skylark would suit. As close to original as possible, small block V8, power steering and hopefully power brakes. A/C would be a bonus !
I just don't want to (or rather cant !) pay the premium for rare "top of range" models with matching numbers, big block engines and small production volume that the collectors chase after.
Prefer an everyday car that's in very good condition, but not so precious. Want to be able to drive and park anywhere and not get frustrated if it picks up a scratch along the way.
I'll keep an eye on the add's and hopefully go see some cars over the summer. I go to the Historic's auction regularly, but I'm a not a confident auction buyer. I think they sometimes fetch silly prices.
I just don't want to (or rather cant !) pay the premium for rare "top of range" models with matching numbers, big block engines and small production volume that the collectors chase after.
Prefer an everyday car that's in very good condition, but not so precious. Want to be able to drive and park anywhere and not get frustrated if it picks up a scratch along the way.
I'll keep an eye on the add's and hopefully go see some cars over the summer. I go to the Historic's auction regularly, but I'm a not a confident auction buyer. I think they sometimes fetch silly prices.
Sometimes its hard getting parts for a 25 year old European car, so I'm not expecting parts for a 60's American car to be easy.
But the big thing between my last ownership experience which ended 1990, and today's is the internet. Today you can be a detective and track down the items you need.
Like I said in my first post, gotta get this house move sorted first and have the garage to keep it in ! Mean while just look at a few cars and see what my money can buy me.
But the big thing between my last ownership experience which ended 1990, and today's is the internet. Today you can be a detective and track down the items you need.
Like I said in my first post, gotta get this house move sorted first and have the garage to keep it in ! Mean while just look at a few cars and see what my money can buy me.
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