Classics as Dailys; Opinions

[pottery beige]

my old bomb never overheated.. factory 4 core radiator no fan just big single davies craig thermo, correct clevo thermostat use to stay rock solid on 40deg days....

[saber]

Originally Posted by pottery beige

my old bomb never overheated.. factory 4 core radiator no fan just big single davies craig thermo, correct clevo thermostat use to stay rock solid on 40deg days....

I’ve got to say, with a well sorted cooling system, the XF never gave me any overheating issues, no matter how hot or heavy the traffic was.
Hell, the cooling system barely gave me issues when the radiator and water pump were on the way out!
At speed (say 85km/h+) and in 3rd gear (my XF was a 3 on the tree model!), the temp would start to rise, sitting at around ¾ at 100km/h.
This was due to not enough coolant being passed through the engine (due to an old water pump), an old, clogged up radiator and no fan shroud!

Once I got myself a fan shroud, and replace the water pump and radiator, the old girl never got past half way, no matter how hot or heavy the traffic was.

[Spammy]

Seems to be a blurry zone between what is classic (XP Falcon / Ht Munro etc) and what is normally considered a sh!tter (XE Falcon / VL Commode).

I didn't realise people drove the latter by choice.

[nstg8a]

Originally Posted by Spammy

Seems to be a blurry zone between what is classic (XP Falcon / Ht Munro etc) and what is normally considered a sh!tter (XE Falcon / VL Commode).

I didn't realise people drove the latter by choice.

What an offensive post. Your, well its plain to see what you are.

[damo76]

whats wrong with driving a classic as a daily, a few years ago my xd falcon got 10km a litre with a 4 speed box and was more comfortable than any new car.
The early falcons had spring seats and they are cushy as compared to the molded crap and 45degree angle doors which you are squashed in like a sardine.

[damo76]

oh and it never broke down in the 5 years i ran it. i drove my previous bosses toyota camry hybrid a while ago and ong you have to be a ventriliquist to get in and out of it.

[Spammy]

Originally Posted by damo76

oh and it never broke down in the 5 years i ran it. i drove my previous bosses toyota camry hybrid a while ago and ong you have to be a ventriliquist to get in and out of it.

really?

[damo76]

theres always one smart *** in this forum isnt there. i am 6foot 4 and 125 kgs so yes...

[Spammy]

Originally Posted by damo76

. i am 6foot 4 and 125 kgs so yes...

how tall is your dummy?

[cs123]

Originally Posted by damo76

theres always one smart *** in this forum isnt there. i am 6foot 4 and 125 kgs so yes...

There is always a smart ***.

ven·tril·o·quism   [ven-tril-uh-kwiz-uhm]
noun
the art or practice of speaking, with little or no lip movement, in such a manner that the voice does not appear to come from the speaker but from another source, as from a wooden dummy.

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by Werd.

Well I daily a Kombi.

Safe - This is the primary concern IMO, but a lot safer than the 90s charades most P platers find themselves in (or old corollas). It is technically less safe than the above mentioned cars, but a lot slower, and classic cars don't encourage hooning like 60-70KW 900KG manual hatches do. You would be surprised how quick some of these older cars are, 100KW Toyota 4AGE corollas that weigh barely a tonne etc.

Aircon/power steering is one of those "harden up" things :P

And fuel economy, you'd be surprised, 10-12L/100KM, Territory gets 13 so you can't really argue that.

Nothing beats driving a classic car IMO, new cars are nice but nowhere near as enjoyable. The looks from pedestrians (Positive ones!) and the waves from fellow enthusiasts are great.


Born in 93, no probs with the 43 year old van here.

No car from the 60s/70s is safe compared to a modern car, the way they deform in accidents, no crumple zones, drum brakes, all that force has to go somewhere in the accident and its usually into the poor person in the drivers seat.

I'm doing 5.5L/100km in my Focus, 6L/100km in the Fiesta and I do 550km a week just to and from work, granted its mostly highway but still.

The only smaller modern car I'd consider "fast" would be Integra Type R, and its 147KW in something less than 1200kg, even then its no rocket in a straight line.

Mum's Festiva is around 950KG odd and 57KW, that thing is a boat anchor, lol.

[trippytaka]

Originally Posted by pottery beige

a pushbike would be quicker for that daily grind..????

I ride a pushy three times a week now - when I don't need to drive to see clients. It's 10 min faster than driving, and I take a long route - to be safe and away from main road traffic, where possible.

[TheZHLANE]

Zh makes a fun daily, hurts the wallet though.

[Werd.]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

No car from the 60s/70s is safe compared to a modern car, the way they deform in accidents, no crumple zones, drum brakes, all that force has to go somewhere in the accident and its usually into the poor person in the drivers seat.

Well it certainly has the safest power to weight ratio

I've certainly never seen a P plater drifting a Kombi around a roundabout, can't say the same for commodores/falcons. They're technically safer yes, but they don't promote safe driving, if you know what I mean. (Depending on how responsible the driver is, but good chance any P plater is gonna test out their cool new car)

[350125GO]

I would drive my Galaxie everyday if I could afford it. The only time I wouldn't is if I was going off the beaten track or **** poor weather ir thunderstorms. The thing has pretty bad headlights and windscreen wipers - but would easily be fixed up over a weekend if you were so inclined. In saying that once you get to a higher power level with bigger cams I could see crawling along the M4 in peak hour becoming a problem with the toploader...

Another time I would not drive it is really late at night when I am tired, I just wanna get home and hit the hay.

[jpd80]

In the early 1980s, I owned a near new XD 5.8 with A/C and power steering, lovely car but in peak hour traffic it used to boil its guts chronically.
Sure you could get Davis Craig fans but it was a constant annoyance to me that all of Ford's then new 5.8 V8s would do the same where
as the Holden V8s would not have a problem.

[trippytaka]

On this topic, there is an XL Charger that is used as a daily and parks around my work. It runs like clockwork, and has minimal rust, and paint is great, which dows surprise me a little.

While I am against driving my drive in a classic eash day, I have to say that I respect that guy much. Keeping an ol' girl like that on the road is great

[The Yeti]

I get a car as part of my package, so I’m not in a position to have my old car as my daily, but every Friday is drive your cool car to work day :o)

It’s a Yeti initiative

Not a lot to it really, if your cool car isn’t your daily but you have a cool car in the garage, it’s doing no one any favours sitting there gathering dust, why not every Friday, turn the key (or in my case flick the switch & press the button) and take the bugger to work, there really is no better feeling than having the drive home on a Friday night become your own privet cruise

[302 XC]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

No car from the 60s/70s is safe compared to a modern car, the way they deform in accidents, no crumple zones, drum brakes, all that force has to go somewhere in the accident and its usually into the poor person in the drivers seat.

I'm doing 5.5L/100km in my Focus, 6L/100km in the Fiesta and I do 550km a week just to and from work, granted its mostly highway but still.

The only smaller modern car I'd consider "fast" would be Integra Type R, and its 147KW in something less than 1200kg, even then its no rocket in a straight line.

Mum's Festiva is around 950KG odd and 57KW, that thing is a boat anchor, lol.

Yep the small car syndrome
Tell me when was the last time you fit 5 rather large fellas in the festiva ???
When was the last time you sat on 100Ks up any hill ???
When was the last time you towed any thing of any wieght or over 2 T ???
Small cars have there place,and people have different needs

Back in the day the cars of the 60s/70s were called family cars, fit the whole family in
Not what we call them today , big enuf for a sheila and her handbag ,or a young bloke and his manbag

[davenl5l]

Originally Posted by Spammy

Seems to be a blurry zone between what is classic (XP Falcon / Ht Munro etc) and what is normally considered a sh!tter (XE Falcon / VL Commode).

I didn't realise people drove the latter by choice.

i guess you just drive plastic crap!my xe 351 4sp is comfy,fast, cool & gets 14l/100klms & i average 30,000+klms a year

[XR_Strider_GuY]

I have a 1990 Chevy not what I call daily drivers per say but I have driven her to work every so often.

This is a free country and lets appreciate everyone's ride and way of life. Saying classics as daily drivers is the way to go or not is a moot point, everyone's priorities and financial status is different. Add to that, everyone's perception of clean, immaculate and condition is different.

Drive whatever you like, when you like but just pay the price when something comes up.

[The Yeti]

Well I'm pulling an early mark so I'm off to drive home in

the wifes

38 Ford

one day I'll own a cool car again :(

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by 302 XC

Yep the small car syndrome
Tell me when was the last time you fit 5 rather large fellas in the festiva ???
When was the last time you sat on 100Ks up any hill ???
When was the last time you towed any thing of any wieght or over 2 T ???
Small cars have there place,and people have different needs

Back in the day the cars of the 60s/70s were called family cars, fit the whole family in
Not what we call them today , big enuf for a sheila and her handbag ,or a young bloke and his manbag

I don't drive the Festiva, its my mum's car. But since you want I'll reply to your questions about my Focus.

- I've had 4 in my Focus recently, to drop some people off, if you complain about space then you can drive yourself, lol.

- Last time I sat on 100km/h up a hill would have been every time I've driven the car over the last 26,000km I've done in it, and I've done it at 1750 RPM in 6th gear without issue, my diesel Focus probably makes more power and torque than any X series 6 cyl Falcon, lol.

- I don't need to tow anything over 2 tonnes, I've got a 6x4 trailer.

[Spammy]

Originally Posted by davenl5l

i guess you just drive plastic crap!my xe 351 4sp is comfy,fast, cool & gets 14l/100klms & i average 30,000+klms a year

Bad guess - I drive a 420hp V8 SS ute, my wife drives a Territory. In the past I have driven old Fiats/Alfas and V8 muscle cars as dailys.....novelty wore off very quickly.

[davenl5l]

me im still lovin the novelty mind you i will concede that i do live in the country thankfully

[stace650]

I've driven my XP wagon as a daily for the past six years. 50 k's to work and back every day.

Pros: it's a nice car to drive, light steering, keeps up with traffic ok, does not overheat (since I put in a bigger rad) and is always getting waves and smiles. The biggest pro is that it's so cheap. Costs bugger all to run, parts are ridiculously cheap and it's good on fuel.

Cons: no creature comforts, pretty ordinary brakes and safety and I guess the fear of having it scratched or damaged in a car park, although this has never happened and the fear has subsided over the years.

Having said that, I'm about to buy a more modern car, but that's mainly because I now use the car for work purposes and clients can't really be driven in the old XP, with no air con, no seat belts and vinyl seats that drench your shirt in Perths summer.

I would say do it if you are able to put up with just the basics. It's not that hard, it's cheap and it's fun.

I'm selling the XP in a week or two, after a good detail and polish. She's been ultra reliable over the years, far more reliable than my wife's modern car. I'll be sad to see her go and my only consolation is that I'll be soon driving my idea of a nice modern car... A late model GT.

[ingles]

I have just read the entire thread-Im 44 years old, the newest vehicle I have ever had is my current BA XR6 ute (2003).
My thinking has always been that a real car guy( or girl) knows the limitations of their weapon of choice.They therefore put up with the shortfalls,and drive around any problems ,or idiosyncrasies older vehicles may have.Thats what makes "car people" different-we accept those things,and deal with them.
BUT seriously, I think some of you people should stop playing with old cars, or build one how you want it.If you want a comfy, air con , easy to drive , crash safe, environmentally friendly ,gets five stars from Wheelsmotorbottomgear magazine,get to a stealership and buy it!!If not ,get in the shed and sort your prized possesion out-or turn in your "car dude" membership now and STFU.