How many here daily their classic motor?

[Surface Rust]

I have 4 'classics' and one 'modern (albeit 15 yrs old). 

The idea was that I'd have a different car for each day of the working week and the modern would always be there in the background.

The reality is that two of the classics are on long term sick leave, and the lure of the heated seats and air con in the modern win when the weather's at the extremes.

For all the other days, I love taking the two remaining functioning classics, and I'd trust either of them just as much as my Honda. Once in regular use it shakes out all of the bugs that plague garage queen's that are parked for 98% of the year .

In short try it, but handy to have a fall back!

 

[sierraman]

1 hour ago, Mr Pastry said:

Perhaps worth mentioning that people do judge you by your car, and even those who have no interest in cars at all can be a bit sniffy if you don't rock up in a brand new one.   That will probably not bother anyone here very much, but it can affect the way people deal with you. 

Other drivers I think are generally OK with classics - those who treat you like shit would do so anyway - but many will underestimate your speed and not be aware of your longer stopping distances, so you have to drive accordingly and basically give everyone enough space.  This doesn't actually slow you down.

 

I suppose it depends on the circumstances I guess, if you were trying to get a contract for something and you turned up in a 2003 Punto with a big scrape down the side you’d look like a complete chancer. But really though 99% of jobs nobody should give a fuck, then again many of these car allowance bollocks things insist on a car less than x years old on the basis of ‘safety’ which is bullshit as if you carked it they’d have someone else at your desk by Wednesday. It’s probably just another way of encroachment on your life or wanting you to fund them to look good. 

[Rust Collector]

I ran the lada for a bit until I got sick of the slipping clutch. It was fine, although people really hung back behind it and I couldn't work out if it was because it stank or because it looked like it would snap in half at any moment. Or both.

I ran the BX 14E daily for a bit and that was great fun, and the 1.7 TRD estate before it. When the clutch cable snapped on that I drove it for a couple of days with no clutch and rev matching because I was lazy and/or stupid.

I ran my favorit for ages as a daily, my only gripe on that was it was slow.

FTP's occasionally happen, but to echo others above I've always had backup cars handy plus 4x4's and trailers for recovery so I've never been too stressed about running old cars of unknown provenance locally. 

My commute is only 3 miles and my employer doesn't have a shit if I fail to turn up on time due to an FTP so that has a bearing on my choices.

One thing I will say, is that crashing the insight has really made me think about safety. I'm very scared of having a crash now, and I'm constantly aware of the lack of safety features in my older cars which is somewhat spoiling my enjoyment lately.

A second thing I'll say is that I don't count anything from around 1995 onwards as classic, mainly because everything after that point tends to drive so well that you're not compromising ease of use for the sake of running something older. For jap stuff you could probably stretch that back to the 80's if it's EFi and high spec. Opinions/arseholes etc. so don't let my own opinion spoil your fun if yours differs.

[straightSix]

4 hours ago, Weird Car said:

This is accurate. 
the amount of people who pull out on me whist in my classic is way higher than a modern, maybe they just think “slow old car can’t be going that fast” when in reality I’m doing the same speed as everyone else but with 4 times the stopping distance.

This is part of why I stopped when I needed to do more miles. The cars absolutely can cope with it and I don't think they necessarily break down more than some moderns but I did worry about safety if anything happened. I wouldn't want a big shunt in a classic. A good middle ground I found was an X300, crippling fuel costs aside 

[Wibble]

I’d happily use the Senator as a daily and do at weekends but have to use the company car for work. The Cortina, however, no thanks. Hard work to drive but I’m sure @Shite Ronwould be able to tell me why if he drove it and it’s something I finally hope to get resolved this summer, health permitting.

[Crispian_J_Hotson]

I put nearly 20k on my ex '86 BM 635 commuting it. It took it like a trooper but sitting in traffic constantly eventually fucked it with the weirdest brake system failure requiring hard to find, wallet rupturing parts that 'might' have fixed it. Ended up sat broken for years and eventually I moved on and sold it off.  I reckon if you can easily get all the bits to keep a car going then there's no issue running it daily but I was always on the para that some numpty would stick their appliance up it's arse, but then that would be game over for most things I suppose. Even now in the STR I hang back at the end of traffic so if that did happen I could at least save the other end!

[grogee]

9 minutes ago, Crispian_J_Hotson said:

I was always on the para that some numpty would stick their appliance up it's arse, but then that would be game over for most things

I am paranoid about this with my Maestro. Yes it's just a Maestro but all those hours of work and ££££ spent on bodywork and paint... The conversation with the insurance company would be so soul destroying. 

I should really just get something I don't mind writing off. 

[sutty2006]

I daily the 86 Carlton quite regularly. Ok, there is worry that something will break and it’ll take me weeks to replace, but that’s where the modern Audi Allroad comes into play. Good back up car. 
 

I don’t daily the manta, it’s not a daily car. I could, but I refuse to put it through that punishment. 

[chodweaver]

"I’ve always assumed that you can’t really use a 40 yr old plus car as your sole mode of transport as it’ll always break down and be unreliable but is that true?"


Regular use? It's the best thing you can do for a car - it keeps the battery charged, and the engine almost never gets properly cold. You get so familiar with it, you know when some part is on its last legs, or about to fail. And the interior doesn't go mouldy. I got a mk1 MR2 from 80k to 235k over a period of about eight years, almost entirely on mileage for work. On the right fuel/mileage claim scheme, a shitter can earn its keep admirably, and means you can afford to service regularly and repair as needed without worrying about the cost. E.g. i was getting 330 quid per month PLUS 25p per mile to run it, and got to laugh at all my colleagues who'd also opted out of the company car scheme - to lease an Audi for which they were paying £350 per month. The MR2 made me money hand over fist.

BUT. The down sides:
If you're doing lots of miles, the shitter needs to be economical. I ran a petrol Multipla for a while, and it cost me dearly, because it couldn't better 35 to the gallon, yet the engine was too small to net a decent rate per mile. And it was on finance, because it was a cast off from Mrs CW.

If you're doing the maintenance work yourself, those big jobs that you spend an entire weekend doing, finishing late Sunday night, just so it's ready for the morning commute - they're stressful. But with a spare car available? Not a problem.

Spare parts supply needs to be good, too, or you'll be using the back up car a lot while you're waiting to put the shitter back together.

Tl:dr - Do it

[EyesWeldedShut]

Don't go too 'classic' - I ran a split screen Minor as a daily (bigger A series engine, 5 speed Sierra box, servo brakes) and it was OK but still not really up to the job of keeping up/stopping with other traffic. Something that age is maybe best kept for weekend jaunts. The almost weekly tinkering/spannering on top of the lacklustre performance got too much.  I've been fuckering around with stuff like the inboard rear brakes on a P6 at 10pm on a wet Sunday night as I need it 8am Monday morning too many times. (Wifemobile as backup is great until the day she also needs it).

Having said that a youngish P6  I'd maybe go for but I'm straying into modern shite territory simply for the reliability - something like a 940/760 maybe (biased as I have the 940 out front at the moment). Rover 75? That sort of age/size of car - plenty of clean, low mileage giffer specials floating around.

[Dj_efk]

Agree with this post ^, if you need to do proper miles then I can recommend erring on the side of more modern whilst still feeling you’re in something interesting.

Comfort, economy, parts availability and reliability are all of key importance as has been noted. 
 

It would be different if you’re only doing mostly shorter journeys daily, I would then say get a backup car on the go and go madly classic as you like, swapping between them as needed when one breaks / needs work.

[captain_70s]

Having dailied 70/80s cars I reckon I now can't be arsed. 

The 740 is the only car I have that can really keep up with modern motorway traffic but is now getting to the age where parts supply is becoming an issue.

The Acclaim ditto, just can't get parts for the very rare occasion it goes wrong.

Dolomite has all parts avaliable, despite being the oldest, but quality is dire with rubber components lasting 12 months and lots of dead on arrival or not quite fitting stuff.

Other drivers will cut you up and try and bully you out of the way even if you're doing over the speed limit.  Driving becomes a lot more defensive in an old car. I try to avoid motorways if possible.

Employers don't tend to like old cars. If you miss work because your modern shits itself that's bad luck. If your Morris Minor breaks down you get the "you really need a more reliable car" chat...

Then there is rust. Annual welding repairs and a car that will be steadily devaluing despite best efforts is a depressing thing.

I still run old shit for personal use and fun, if my work was only 10 miles of A roads away I'd probably daily an old car. Memories of lying in a puddle at 1am midweek trying to fix brakes for a 7am start at work reminds me of the realities...

[dozeydustman]

I dailied a couple of Scimitars between 2001 and 2005. The first was really reliable, only twos failures were caused by poor quality HT leads and later a seizing trunnion. It had a few sensible upgrades but was otherwise as it came out the factory.

Second Scimitar was a pain. By the time I got it running reliably it needed a while lot of other parts overhauling, both mechanical and structural to the rollover bar mounts. It also had a really bad manual choke conversion and so many bodges once I started stripping parts down for overhaul I lost interest.

Both were more than capable of keeping up with traffic at the time with braking performance to match.

Something 80s-onward with good parts supply in theory would be usable daily. If you’re going older make sure it’s a good one to start with and parts supply in the event of FTP doesn’t mean waiting for back orders or parts quality roulette. Cars hate prolonged periods of inactivity 

I echo the comments re: drivers bullying and the need to change your driving style to compensate for poor braking performance.

[MisterH]

I daily my 1986 Audi 80 Sport and for the past half a year of uni life it has been absolutely brilliant. Performance that is more than adequate for modern days, well built, practical and mostly reliable. Plus it tends to get a lot of goodwill which is a benefit for sure. Parts supply is a big issue however, and I would be lying if I said the car was faultless. Occasionally there have been issues such as the throttle cable disconnecting and the alternator belt squealing, and rust is a constant worry. But, I feel safer driving it than I do the 480, although that is likely going to be my daily for the coming year due to insurance reasons. 

The Audi has taken me to Denmark where I am currently, and was quite happy cruising at 90mph, even managed to hit 118mph on the Bahn, proving that you can use all of the speedometer on it. So yes, I do daily my classics and apart from having a fight when it comes to insurance, it is more than fine

[straightSix]

I think the long and short of it is that yes, it's perfectly possible to daily a classic car. The bigger question is whether you're up for it or not. Because a short B road commute in summer is a very different proposition to having to wait for something on carbs to warm up in the middle of winter when it's pissing it down with rain 

[Dj_efk]

1 hour ago, straightSix said:

I think the long and short of it is that yes, it's perfectly possible to daily a classic car. The bigger question is whether you're up for it or not. Because a short B road commute in summer is a very different proposition to having to wait for something on carbs to warm up in the middle of winter when it's pissing it down with rain 

And to add to that last comment - if you (OP) have the luxury of a garage then that would swing things firmly in favour of “do it” for me. If not then see my comment about going as modern as possible above.

[somewhatfoolish]

1 hour ago, straightSix said:

I think the long and short of it is that yes, it's perfectly possible to daily a classic car. The bigger question is whether you're up for it or not. Because a short B road commute in summer is a very different proposition to having to wait for something on carbs to warm up in the middle of winter when it's pissing it down with rain 

This is definitely where the hardcore shiter distinguishes themselves from the dilettante; pre-1990 designs(and especially pre-1980 ones) often have bits that just aren't much cop, wheezy heaters, wipers that just rearrange the water on the screen, indicators like glowworms with brewers' droop, that make commuting like russian roulette but without the glamour.

[straightSix]

1 hour ago, somewhatfoolish said:

This is definitely where the hardcore shiter distinguishes themselves from the dilettante; pre-1990 designs(and especially pre-1980 ones) often have bits that just aren't much cop, wheezy heaters, wipers that just rearrange the water on the screen, indicators like glowworms with brewers' droop, that make commuting like russian roulette but without the glamour.

I've got PTSD from having to have the windows wide open on my CX driving home in the middle of winter, freezing my bollocks off, as that was the only thing to stop the windscreen fogging up 😂 definitely type 2 and not type 1 fun

[Royale80]

Sierra (30 years old) used at least twice a day every day- Over 7000 miles last year. Range Rover (24 years old) once or twice a week.

[scruff]

I've always run older stuff daily. A35 was the oldest and was fine, the salt did get it though. 😔 Though to be honest if I'd had the skills and facilities I'd have mended it and carried on.

Currently use my 1979 Series III Land Rover daily, in some ways still the perfect rural family transport - it's got the child seats and a dog cage in it permanently, it doesn't matter if it gets filthy inside, can chuck all my oily and sooty steam engine shite in it etc etc. It is still a Landy tho with all the quirks, I keep thinking about a baby Austin again or something like a Somerset or A50/A55

[Stinkwheel]

Short answer = yes. Long answer = Yes, sort of. 

To explain, ive always used the cars i own, ive owned cars from 40+ years old and cars only 15+ years old. In all cases i was told they were too old to use 'reliably' every day. In most cases that was totally and utterly incorrect. But, the maintenance is they key, do reasonable remedial and preventative jobs, you'll be golden. Don't and you wont. So, the same as most motoring really.

[Stinkwheel]

21 hours ago, straightSix said:

I've got PTSD from having to have the windows wide open on my CX driving home in the middle of winter, freezing my bollocks off, as that was the only thing to stop the windscreen fogging up 😂 definitely type 2 and not type 1 fun

Which CX did you have? As an ex owner of about 15, never had this issue. OK the ventilation is crap for comfort but i never had it stem up the windows much.

[Matty]

1 hour ago, scruff said:

he salt did get it though.

It's all about this for me. I'll blow em up and mend them. Wear em out and mend them. But fuck doing body and structural work. I do quite a bit of fabrication and welding as part of my job, but thin easily warped stuff gives me the fear.

I'm on my first day in Lanzarote, a place I love. If I was to move here I'd ship my ZXR and A40 out and own no other transport. Never going to happen mind, but nice to dream!

[Matty]

1 hour ago, Stinkwheel said:

But, the maintenance is they key, do reasonable remedial and preventative jobs, you'll be golden. Don't and you wont. So, the same as most motoring really.

This times a million. People went all over the world in these cars. My Dad's first ever trip abroad was all the way from east Lancashire to the far side of the DDR to see my grandma's family. All 4 of them in a Commer Cob van. It made it all the way there and back. Inherent unreliability is bollocks, just poor maintenance.

When I blew my head gasket the other month, it was because despite knowing I got the car with a rebuilt engine with 50 mile on it, I failed to take the time to pull the head down again. My fault. Not the cars.

[Cavcraft]

If two-wheelers count, then a 59 year old Honda 90 and a 59 year old Lambretta are used as often as possible.

[vulgalour]

You can absolutely daily an older car, classic or otherwise, you just have to modify your expectations a bit.  The more you use it, the more you have to set aside in money/parts/time for the inevitable moment when something goes wrong, because something will go wrong.  Some things can be mitigated with practical upgrades like electronic ignition so you don't have to play condensor roulette, and carrying a few spares in the boot like spark plugs, coil, belts, and fluids.   Just the sort of stuff people used to do to get them home in a pinch.  Break down cover is also sensible to have if you can find a reliable supplier of it.

I'm toddling about in a Maestro at the moment and it's fine.  I won't go on the motorway in it because the four speed box isn't well suited to a pleasant driving experience but other than that it copes with the little mileage I ask it to do.  Something like your Volvo should cope no problem, your issue is always going to be parts supply so get hoarding your consumables and things that are likely to wear out with regular use and you should be mostly okay.

You just have to be more defensive as a driver, keep a keen eye on any rust developing and deal with it as quickly as you can, and spend the effort on any mechanical and electrical maladies as they appear.  It's more work than a modern, certainly, and you have to be a lot more proactive about looking after it.

[meggersdog]

I've been dailying my Nissan 100nx for the last two years.Admittedly it is only 29 years old. An exhaust was same day delivery, a battery was off the shelf but front brake pads were two days delivery from the local branch of EU. My commute is 7 miles there 7 miles back but we do have days out at the coast ,150 mile round trip and that's no bother. Keep on top of the maintenance and check your levels once a week it will be fine.

[Lankytim]

Thanks for all the very interesting replies, there’s lot to think about! I did daily a 16 year old Citroen XM a few years ago and after a while it became a chore, I worked out that every 4-5 hours of driving would equate to 1 hours worth of spannering on the drive, often it was against the clock to make the car usable for work in the morning. Sometimes fun but not fun all the time. 

[chodweaver]

Thanks for all the very interesting replies, there’s lot to think about! I did daily a 16 year old Citroen XM a few years ago and after a while it became a chore, I worked out that every 4-5 hours of driving would equate to 1 hours worth of spannering on the drive, often it was against the clock to make the car usable for work in the morning. Sometimes fun but not fun all the time. 

Depressing!

[Dj_efk]

Main lesson of this thread appears to be don’t even consider dailying anything French of any age 🤯