Well, some might call it a midlife crisis or whatever, but I have long thought about getting an older (60s-70s) car to drive for fun. Having sent our youngest off to college, I’m thinking more and more about driving something other than the minivans and wagons I’ve had for the past couple of decades.
For any number of reasons, I’ve decided that a Corvair is the right choice for me. I just learned of this car, which is pretty local, and which I could get for what I consider a decent price.
My dad did the same thing when he hit his (late 30s) and bought a 1965 Ford Falcon. He had lots of fun driving it and going to car shows to show it off. A few years later the novelty faded and he decided to sell it to get something that would be drivable in the Michigan winters but he had fun with it while it lasted, I remember that well. I say go for it.
1965 Four Door Ford Falcon was my first car. Ah…memories
Dinsdale– go for it. Looks like a fun car to drive. You only live once and you don’t want to wait too long. Timing is everything, if you can afford it and the kids are gone, why not?
Thanks all.
So what would you think would be a decent price for just a fun car like this?
I had been thinking about a '64-67 (they improved the suspension in 64, and redid the body style in 65), maybe a vert, but this one came up at what I consider a ridiculously affordable price. I could buy it, have fun with it for a couple of years, and sell it for 1/2 what I paid and still not have much of a loss.
I remember once a friend of mine bought a red convertible MG, because he said ‘at one point in your life, you have to be able to say you owned a red sports car’. It was a rusty old heap, and it collapsed after about a year, but we all had great fun while he had it.
My girlfriend owns an old mini - red, with a union jack on the roof, straight out of The Italian Job (the original). She’s getting tired of it now - it’s uncomfortable, very shaky at high speeds and half the time won’t start - but it’s been fun. We get tourists taking photos of us as we spin past Big Ben in the centre of London. But it’s always a relief to get back behind the wheel of my brand new mini and feel the purr of a modern engine. Great thing is that beyond a certain age it holds its value. After ten years of ownership, she really won’t lose that much on it when she sells (and she gets offers ALL the time).
Main problem with an old classic is reliability. It will get every problem going, and won’t start whenever you need it to. Really helps if you’re a car enthusiast who doesn’t mind tinkering with the engine every five minutes.
You WILL get tired of it after a while. It’s only when you switch from an old car to a new one that you appreciate the modern comforts. But what the hell, there’s some itches you just have to scratch. Go for it!
My grandmother had a '64 Corvair. It was a great little car. After she couldn’t drive any longer, we sold it to some kids who tricked it out for an awesome ride. Then they sold it to a collector for mucho bucks.
Suffice it to say I doubt my wife would be as thrilled as I. I believe her main complaint at present is our 2-car garage would require that we keep 1 of our current 2 cars in the driveway. Doesn’t bother me, but I think it does her. We’re talking about moving within the next year or so, however. . .
I don’t need to buy THIS Vair RIGHT NOW. There really are a lot of them out there, and I could wait until we move to a more “Vair-friendly” house. But I think this might be a really good deal. If I wait until later, I’m probably going to want to spend 2-3X as much for a cherry specimen.
Yes! Buy it. I bought my childhood dream car, a maroon T-Bird ragtop when I was 45 because it was restored to good condition outside and interior and ran fairly well. Best thing I ever bought. Because of the deeply curved bucket seats and multi-clustered instrument panel, my teenage son called it The Batmobile. It died when a tree limb fell on it, and my life has been a bit emptier ever since.
Well, before you buy it, drive a few. Buy the one you like to drive. I would advise against driving any until you are sure you wife is on board with the idea.
P.S.
This is the way I select a new sewing machine. Never decide until you have driven a few and never test drive until you can buy.
I bought a rusty '67 Mustang ragtop when I was feeling like getting something with a bit more personality. I love it - even though it is garaged during the week. My commute is not one to do with 12 to the gallon and no AC.
What I love (egotistical me) is that I can be driving down the Pacific Coast Highway in Laguna Beach, surrounded by Mercedes, BMWs, and Jags - and they are all looking at me (and I am there for $5k in purchase and another $7k over the years in reconstruction).
I do 50% of the work, and pay folks to do the other 50%. One advantage of the Ford Mustang classic years is the number of parts dealers out there. You can get every single part for a classic Mustang except the frame - made new. Check on parts for your Corvair and make sure that you don’t have to haunt junkyards to keep it running.
Any chance the OP’s wife might not like him driving a car that makes women look at it and say “Ooooh…?”
In all seriousness: Can you comfortably afford a “fun” car? Can you fix most of the problems that will invariably come along? If yes to both … Can you afford it and *also *comfortably afford a toy that your *wife *wants?
You know, it is tough trying to get a handle on exactly what we can and can’t afford right now with 3 kids in college. But we should have that covered with a comfortable cushion. And I’m feeling optimistic about my wife’s current search for full-time employment. I’m perfectly happy to wrap it up as a combined present for my b-day in Nov, x-mas, Father’s Day, and our 25th anniversary next August.
She has bought a violin and a couple of rings that cost 2-3x the purchase price of this car, and over the past 3 months we bought furniture costing maybe 3x. And I never said anything other than “If we can afford it and if it would make you happy, get it.” So I’m hoping she acts the same. Like I said, I think her biggest concern is going to be not wanting to have the minivan parked in the driveway 24/7.
Well, just to throw in a dissenting view here, I would go with almost anything BUT a Corvair.
I bought one–just about like the one you linked to–in 1970 for $160. It was not worth it. Some three months later, after spending approximately 3x what I paid for it trying to fix it, I signed the title and put it on the college bulletin board with a big FREE CAR note. It was there for three weeks before a sucker bit.
Obviously, ifhe had been a friend of mine, I would have talked him out of it.
It is not just me. I’ve known some other people who had Corvairs, and mostly, they deeply regret the experience. Except, you know, it gave them experience.
The exception is, there are a few hardy souls who not only LOVE the car but have a support group for it.
I steer clear of those people. And, since I don’t have a Corvair, I CAN steer.
There’s a simple way to decide, if you want something because you want it, that is cool. If you want it because you think it will make you look cool or younger, or you just want it because other people have it, it’s NOT cool. So don’t do it.
There’s nothing worse than a middle aged man driving a car because he thinks it’ll make him look young or attractive to women, even if it works he looks stupid.
But if you want the car because YOU WANT IT, for the sake of the purchase, that IS cool.
