What's the best handling 1960's car I can afford?

"cletus44 aka Clayton Seams" (cletus44) 10/01/2014 at 16:53 • Filed to: None

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As many of you know, I have a 1969 Chrysler Newport that I love. But I've been hankering for something smaller (Shocking, I know) and more nimble. I'm obsessed with cars of the 1960's and refuse to buy something older or newer than that decade. I have $5,000 or so to spend on a winter project/summer toy. What's the best handling car I can buy?
My first thought was a Sprite/Midget and I also like them for their simplicity. I will have to wrench on the thing ya'know. Any other options? Cheap Europa? Some crazy thing I've never heard of? I'm all for new ideas.

Full disclosure: The Newport ain't going nowhere. This will be a third car.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 10/01/2014 at 16:59

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This will sound like a joke, but hear me out: Corvair. Yes, it *can* experience liftoff oversteer and butt-happy handling, but if you were to spend some time tuning the setup on it and stiffening it up, you could have Porsche-like behavior for much less.

Failing that, possibly a Dart or Valiant.

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 10/01/2014 at 17:01

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I think what you require is the handling characteristics of a rear engined automobile, I present to you the 1964 Corvair Monza Convertible:

http://grandrapids.craigslist.org/cto/4629126578…

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 10/01/2014 at 17:02

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Hmmmmm I have always liked the Corvair and they can be had cheaply....

Jedidiah > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 10/01/2014 at 17:02

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Good handling from the 60s is a bit relative; everything handles like crap from that era.

I think you will like the Triumph TR6 or TR4A. These have a semi-trailing arm irs and a decent front suspension.

If you want something simpler, get a Triumph TR4 which has a solid rear axle.

These are decently affordable, pretty simple, and body on frame unlike their more fragile competitors. Much cheaper than Corvettes or Austin-Healeys and much better than an MG.

Jonathan Harper > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 10/01/2014 at 17:02

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911. Wait! No one can afford those!!

crowmolly > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 10/01/2014 at 17:04

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I wonder if a '60s Mustang is a good fit.

Not necessarily from the factory but you can get a bunch of aftermarket stuff to make it handle very well. Might not be 2200 lbs but it will still be pretty light.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 10/01/2014 at 17:04

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Ha! That was also my suggestion.

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > Jonathan Harper 10/01/2014 at 17:05

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*sobs

Bytemite > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 10/01/2014 at 17:05

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Corvair is the answer. Engine is in the right place driving the right wheels.

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 10/01/2014 at 17:06

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Over budget and auto but not a bad idea. I like it!

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > crowmolly 10/01/2014 at 17:06

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Can you find driveable 60's mustangs for $5k?

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 10/01/2014 at 17:07

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guys you guys you guys. How bout dis? Annnnnd it's been listed for ages. http://www.kijiji.ca/v-classic-cars…

SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 10/01/2014 at 17:07

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My grandfather has a Corvair Turbo. It's an absolute blast. I don't think this is a and idea.

Jedidiah > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 10/01/2014 at 17:08

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Be sure to get one made after 1965, these are axtually decent handling. Before that they had swing axles and drive like complete garbage.

Unlike a porsche that has torsion bars, these have much better riding coil springs.

Get upgraded versions of the factory sway bars from the optional handling package and some 15 in wheels with good rubber you could have a decent car to toss around. Be sure to run about half the tire pressure in the front wheels as you do the back since the weight distribution is awful in these.

crowmolly > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 10/01/2014 at 17:12

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http://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/de…

^ Out of your range but who knows

These two are cheaper but need more attention:

http://cnj.craigslist.org/cto/4673931042…

http://cnj.craigslist.org/cto/4662051719…

Jedidiah > crowmolly 10/01/2014 at 17:13

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I wouldn't get one for handling.

The original Mustang was designed to be cheap, not to drive nice. People only bought the originals because they liked the way they looked.

Their steering is woefully wayward at speeds and they creak and lurch around corners.

crowmolly > Jedidiah 10/01/2014 at 17:15

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I get what you are saying.

I was approaching it from the "has potential" aspect. I remember early Mustangs not being very good from the factory but there's a strong aftermarket.

I dunno, to me it's a tough question since a lot of things handled poorly from back then, and of stuff that didn't handle badly most of it is not cheap. If it's cheap and it handled well then you are faced with rot and structural issues which seem to plague British cars.

3vil-Monkey > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 10/01/2014 at 17:15

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Look for a Classic Mini, its like driving a go cart

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 10/01/2014 at 17:16

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Yeah, it's an idea and I've seen them all over the spectrum price wise, starting at like $500 for a particularly bad example. But see what's out there! Maybe you'll find a manual in your price range. And this one really isn't far off, i bet you could talk them down with cash in hand.

Jedidiah > crowmolly 10/01/2014 at 17:17

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He's only got a budget of 5k and suspension parts are not cheap.

It has potential, but I think he can find something a bit better.

camaroboy68ss > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 10/01/2014 at 17:19

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I like the Corvair idea but I would look for a secund gen (65-69). They were way better cars. The suspension was better and fixed the main problems of the 60-64s. They are sporty looking and car that is slowly increasing in value.

Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 10/01/2014 at 17:20

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I second all the Corvair responses. If you can get a 65-69, they have better suspension. Finding a 4-speed model won't be hard, either.

Here's one with bad pictures but in budget. It's from sandhills area of SC so it has low possibility of rust. Plus, if you wanted to go modern you could always do a Subaru swap...

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > 3vil-Monkey 10/01/2014 at 17:20

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I've looked but real 1960's minis are pricey. I need something from that decade.

crowmolly > Jedidiah 10/01/2014 at 17:21

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Yeah, I guess it depends on where he wants to go with it. No doubt there are probably better "from the factory" choices. Also have to take into consideration general parts availability too I guess.

3vil-Monkey > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 10/01/2014 at 17:29

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The good thing is the overall design of the car never really changed but the fun was always there.

3vil-Monkey > 3vil-Monkey 10/01/2014 at 17:29

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But i respect your need

Trevor Slattery, ACTOR > 3vil-Monkey 10/01/2014 at 17:30

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The OG Minis are tough for a beginner home mechanic. The engine and transaxle share the same oil. I'd steer clear unless you have the chops to deal with them

Trevor Slattery, ACTOR > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 10/01/2014 at 17:31

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I'd go with the Spridget or a 67-70 Spitfire. Easy to work on, decent parts availability.

Trevor Slattery, ACTOR > Jedidiah 10/01/2014 at 17:33

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Terribly hard to find in decent shape for less than 10k, impossible for $5k.

bhardoin > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 10/01/2014 at 17:34

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I think the Midget has got to be your best bet. Anything American from that era will handle like a barge until you drop thousands on suspension parts. I think it'd be hard to find a reasonable Corvair in your price range (even a good one would probably still need some freshened up suspension bits), but I'm not sure.

Baeromez > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 10/01/2014 at 17:46

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Pull the trigger.

Jedidiah > Trevor Slattery, ACTOR 10/01/2014 at 17:48

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I posted that before I finished reading his post and saw that his budget was 5k

ClassicDatsunDebate > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 10/01/2014 at 17:50

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You may want to look at a Datsun Roadster. They will walk away from any stock Midget or MGB and will be in your price range, for now (prices are climbing very quickly on these)

3vil-Monkey > Trevor Slattery, ACTOR 10/01/2014 at 17:50

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My dad has parts up the ass for them and has built them in the past, so i'm good. I just need to find one stateside.

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > ClassicDatsunDebate 10/01/2014 at 17:58

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Most of the Datsun roadsters I've found have been 5-7k. Out of my budget really. But they are superior cars and I loooove the styling, My friend has a 1967 roadster.

ClassicDatsunDebate > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 10/01/2014 at 18:05

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Too bad about the pricing. Like I say, the prices have gone up quite a bit in the last 2-3 years. I bought mine in 2008 from the original owner with a 20 year old restoration for $5k. Probably worth twice the price now. You can still pick up some good deals in California but they are getting fewer and fewer.

I owned a '63 Midget and it was fun too. Looks like a good deal if it's not swiss cheese.

ranwhenparked > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 10/01/2014 at 22:26

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Fiat 124? Though, where you are, you're likely to only find the Lada versions, which are somewhat compromised in the handling department over the original.

Tony Dickson > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 10/01/2014 at 23:27

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Specifically a second-generation 'Vair with the semi-trailing arm rear suspension, IMHO. A Dart/Valiant with a set of anti-sway bars from Addco would work, too.

Tony Dickson > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 10/01/2014 at 23:28

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Maybe a Falcon 2 door... same car under the skin and with its own quirky charm.

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) 10/02/2014 at 02:01

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and an orange 914! Win.

SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) > gmporschenut also a fan of hondas 10/02/2014 at 02:19

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It's a 914-6 ;)

EDIT: Nope... My bad. This is his 914-6. The orange one is a regular 914. Sorry. I need to go to sleep.

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) 10/02/2014 at 07:25

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i have to stop stalking Hemmings.

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 10/02/2014 at 10:29

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Sprites are pretty damn good, but if you want out-and-out best handling car of the 60s it has to be the Lotus Elan. No chance you'll find one for $5k, but that answers one question :)

How about a Spitfire? The MkIVs/1500s handle much better than the Mk3s (although they're 70s cars).

How much work would you be willing to do to get it handling well? You can get the swing-axle ones to be really damn sharp, and you can get them even better if you swap CV axles into the back with the wishbone from a rotoflex car :)

Tested in 1973, the Triumph Spitfire came top in skidpad g, I know that: http://www.caranddriver.com/features/rocke…

swansong, rockin' the wagons > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 10/02/2014 at 15:53

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I'd image a Volvo P1800 handles rather competently. Good ones are $5-10k, but you can find rougher ones much cheaper than that.

S. Bechler > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 12/09/2019 at 18:59

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Only about 5 years late but how about a Plymouth Valiant or Dodge Dart. I've heard a lot of people say the Valiant handled better than a lot of European cars. What did you end up with?