My future three-car garage 

"cletus44 aka Clayton Seams" (cletus44) 02/17/2016 at 11:13 • Filed to: None

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Note that I didn’t say “dream.” These are three cars I hope to own within the next five years and I’ve been aggressively saving to afford them. It’s actually a four-car garage because I have a 1999 Suburban for winter duties. I’d drive a classic year-round but Toronto salt is just too brutal for classic cars.

1969 Corvette 427 coupe

My absolute dream car. Has been since I was 10. I was shocked to learn that you can pick these up in driver condition for under $20,000. It has to be a ‘69, it has to be a four-speed and it has to be a coupe. I’m hunting for one with the “low compression” 390-horsepower 427. It’s a strong engine but low-strung so it’s more able to be taken on long trips without overheating and hopefully it’ll need less maintenance. Preferably in blue or Daytona Yellow with black interior. Wide Goodyear white-letter racing tires and white ceramic-coated sidepipes will complete the look. Selling the ‘69 Newport will partially fund this car.

1969 Fiat 124 Sport Spider

I really like these. It has to be an early car and the ‘69 has a number of small differences to the ‘70. The ‘68's weren’t imported into Canada as far as I know. You can pick these up around $5-7k all day long and I think they’re a great bargain. Revvy little 1.4L DOHC I4 designed by Lampredi and a body that, I think, resembles the ‘65 Ferrari 275 GTS. Even though it’s a cheap foreign car from the 60's, it has disc brakes and a 5-speed to make it more livable in modern traffic. This would be a great date car.

1972 Jaguar XJ12

If you want a classic V12 and have less than $100k to spend, there’s really only one option. And I need a V12 in my life. This will likely end up being the most expensive car of the three and the most involving from a modification standpoint. Part of the problem is that the glorious 5.3L SOHC V12 was only available in the short wheelbase XJ platform for one year, 1972. After that, only a long wheelbase XJ12 was offered. I’ll also have to swap the three-speed auto for a 5-speed. And given the reputation of these engines, I’d like to go through it top to bottom with a full rebuild. It would be a fairly mild build but four downdraft Webers would have to be included.

So there you have it. That’s my “affordable dream garage.” What’s yours?

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 02/17/2016 at 11:18

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When I have money, or the financial ability to actually save some pennies, I’ll revisit this question.

crowmolly > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 02/17/2016 at 11:25

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I was shocked to learn that you can pick these up in driver condition for under $20,000. It has to be a ‘69, it has to be a four-speed and it has to be a coupe. I’m hunting for one with the “low compression” 390-horsepower 427.

Probably closer to $30,000 to get one that doesn’t need some bucks put in it. On the plus side, it won’t have the tripower stuff that’s a PITA to work with.

L36 was 10.25:1 if I remember correctly. Same long block as the 427/400 tri power with oval heads. Better performer than the rectangle port stuff down low.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 02/17/2016 at 11:27

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Current cars, plus a ‘77 or so Lincoln Town Car Williamsburg, a ‘67 Mercury Cougar, a ‘73 C3, a ‘48-’50 Packard Victoria, a ‘48 Hudson Commodore and/or Pontiac Silver Streak, a ‘’38/’39 Ford one-ton, something ‘60s-early ‘70s Poncho or Buick, a late ‘70s 924, and some others. Some possible substitutes or upgrades to entries on that list. Note that this is *not* a three-car garage at all.

StingrayJake > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 02/17/2016 at 11:29

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‘69 427 for less than $20,000? I’d take some really close looks at everything on that car. Find one in Fathom Green and we can be friends.

camaroboy68ss > crowmolly 02/17/2016 at 11:32

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Yeah a solid nice 390hp t-top vette is pushing upper the $30k-$40k range. Roadster are in the $40k. The tri-power though is a must have for me. I prefer it over the 4 barrel.

djmt1 > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 02/17/2016 at 11:33

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Well my biggest obstacle for car ownership is insurance costs. However I have a plan. Buy a MX5 then get classic car insurance for which you need a garage & another car and then buy a LS400. Total insurance should be less than £1500 according to my enquires which is crap ton less than pretty much anything else I want to own.

camaroboy68ss > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 02/17/2016 at 11:35

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What’s wrong with a 68 corvette? Other than no factory side pipes, I’d rather have 68 due to it being a one year oddity. Ignition in the dash, no map pocket, wasn’t a stingray, etc. plus last year of the 327 in the vette.

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > camaroboy68ss 02/17/2016 at 11:35

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I’ve heard the tri-power setup, while cool, can be hard to tune, and I want a car I can take on long road trips without worrying about tuning issues. As far as pricing, there’s a bunch of really nice cars that sell for 30-40 and a huge valley for cars with faded paint and rougher interiors for 15-20 that I’ve found. I know the bird cages in those cars will be suspect but I think one can be found for that price.

The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 02/17/2016 at 11:38

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A 1st gen TJ Rubicon.

A gen 2 Viper ACR for kicks.

A Nissan Leaf for the city driving duties.

crowmolly > camaroboy68ss 02/17/2016 at 11:38

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I wish Camaros ended up getting the cancelled L70 setup. Would have been way cool.

crowmolly > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 02/17/2016 at 11:40

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Once you fix that paint and interior and any mechanicals you’ll end up @ 30-40k.

camaroboy68ss > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 02/17/2016 at 11:40

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No the tri power is easy to work on, my grandpa had a 67 vette with the top dog 435hp tri power motor and that thing ran great and idled great. Then open all three carbs up and hang on! I’ve been looking at these lately and the last 69 I looked at was asking 27k, small block/ small hp roadster, needed a paint job really badly and all the bright work needed redone. Had both tops nut the hard top needed seals and the soft was really faded. Wish I could have had the funds about 5 years ago because the market was still low for the 68-72 vettes

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > StingrayJake 02/17/2016 at 11:42

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Mmmm Fathom green is gorgeous but hard to find.

camaroboy68ss > crowmolly 02/17/2016 at 11:43

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Yeah that would have been nice.

camaroboy68ss > crowmolly 02/17/2016 at 11:44

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When it comes to a corvette add $1-5k to everything because it’s for a “Corvette” even though most mechanical parts interchange with the other models

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > camaroboy68ss 02/17/2016 at 11:44

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Hmmmm well that actually gives me hope. I think the setup is super cool but the vacuum actuated secondary carbs give me the heebie jeebies. Values have gone up recently but the C3 remains a bargain compared to C2 prices.

crowmolly > camaroboy68ss 02/17/2016 at 11:44

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I wouldn’t necessarily call it easy . Based on what I’ve seen you post about your grandpa the guy knows his stuff so I’m not surprised he had it running sweet!

Tune the center carb first and then work with the outboards and it’s not terrible, but it can be a pain if you modify the motor, timing, etc.

I can’t remember if the outboard carbs had metering plates or jets. Not awful, but not a double pumper.

Master Cylinder > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 02/17/2016 at 11:45

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Well, I’ve already got a fun, lightweight sports car in my 944S, so that’s already set.

I’d like a dead simple and reliable smallish lightweight 4x4, along the lines of a Hilux or a 4-door hardtop Vitara/Sidekick/Tracker. I’ll have to travel to the southwest to find one that’s not mostly rust, of course.

And I’d also like a biggish comfy tourer, something like an older Benz E-class.

And a couple of motorcycles in the stable, as well.

The cars I can afford, but the garage big enough to house and maintain them would be a different matter!

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > crowmolly 02/17/2016 at 11:46

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Implying that I care about paint haha Chalky paint doesn’t bother me. I might buff it to some shade of respectability but I don’t care too much. Mechanicals I can handle on my own.

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > camaroboy68ss 02/17/2016 at 11:47

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I love the looks and one year features of the 68. But for 69, the frame was reinforced and made with heavier gauge steel. Because of this, a 69 drives much better than a similar 68. And I plan to drive this car on twisty roads and road course track days. Were it not for that, I’d be shopping for a 68.

Stapleface > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 02/17/2016 at 11:49

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I’ll use the word affordable loosely as to find at least one of these unmolested might be a challenge.

1991 CRX Si. This would be my daily driver. I had an 85 before and miss getting rid of it every day.

2001 Trans Am. I need some LS1 in my life. This would be the weekend fun car, and they’re actually pretty good to cruise with

Finally, the haul stuff around vehicle would be a late model K5 Blazer. I was always partial to the stacked lights. I’d like a different engine because they were underpowered. But otherwise that’s my list.

crowmolly > camaroboy68ss 02/17/2016 at 11:51

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Engine, trans, and brakes, yea. Not the suspension and rear though.

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > Stapleface 02/17/2016 at 11:51

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That’s a solid list. A little dab of everything there. I like it.

camaroboy68ss > crowmolly 02/17/2016 at 11:55

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I've got to think on the Holley 2 barrels, i think they were all the same car with the center carb just having the vacuum canister.

camaroboy68ss > crowmolly 02/17/2016 at 11:57

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True but if you can claim a motor part for a vette they jack the price up. But really an interior kit should not be a lot more money than a Camaro kit.

crowmolly > camaroboy68ss 02/17/2016 at 12:04

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3659 for the ends, 3660 for the center. The center was the only one with a traditional idle circuit. All 350cfm.

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 02/17/2016 at 12:06

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Hmmm, I’ve got a pretty decent one as it stands at the moment. Just need to get them all working at the same time.

Alfa 156 2.5 V6: Semi-economical but still quick daily driver. Been as reliable as a gently aging relatively new car can be. Would very much like to swap in a 3.0l at some point in the next few years.

Citroen BX 1.9 Diesel: Extra economical commuter, with a dash of oddball. ~40-50mpg (UK) and the worlds best ride in a sub-ton car. Just needs a leak in the return of the suspension fixing.

Jaguar XJ40 4.0l manual: RWD luxury cruiser and a big old puppy dog when it comes to hanging the tail out. Needs a set of lowering springs to take it back to the ride height it was before I swapped out the sagged old ones for new ones, the crown-wheel and pinion aligning properly from when I swapped in an LSD and a set of 16" basketweaves (or 16" Chevy Torque-Thrust replicas as it’s the same bolt pattern).

As for new arrivals, I could build a 3-car garage out of them as well!

Triumph Spitfire 6: Nutso big engine/small car sports car for weekend blasts, trackdays and hillclimbs.

Triumph Spitfire 1850: Next project is a much lower budget swap of an 1850 Slant 4 engine into a Spitfire using as many free/cheap bits as I can find and maybe homebrew EFI. Will hopefully be a peppy little economical runabout.

???: Either an XJS manual to stick my spare 4.0l Jag I6 into with a header and ITBs to try and hit 350bhp, a TR6 to stick my spare 2.6l Rover OHC I6 into to try and hit 220-250bhp, a Rover SD1 V8 to get my V8 fix or an AWD MGB GT V8 using a spare Jag IRS and Subaru R160 diff I have lying around. Choices!

StingrayJake > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 02/17/2016 at 12:15

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I actually thought there was a lighter, somewhat-metallic green color from those early C3 years but I don’t see what I’m looking for in the paint codes. Either way, it’s super unique. Otherwise I’d want Monza Red.

Shift24 > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 02/17/2016 at 12:27

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Damn good line up though I don’t want to be the one working on that Jag but hey a v12 is a v12.

I think I am getting closer to mine. Right now i have a 98 camaro that will be swapped over to an LS v8, 92 accord coupe for rally-x, and a 00 E39 540i m-sport as daily/auto-x. Only thing I’m missing is a 1st gen NSX with pop-ups. I think it’s a modest line up power and $ wise but 3 V8s (other daily is a 96 k1500) and a v6 that can throw down v8 sports car times is more than enough for me.

E39 not seen but will be later

not for canada - australian in disguise > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 02/17/2016 at 13:32

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Older Dodge Ram 2500 (Or really any diesel truck in general. Would keep it mostly stock, save for maybe some performance mods, no liftkits or coal rolling)

Isuzu Impulse/Asuna Sunfire (Rather hard to find nowadays, but they still seem pretty cheap whenever they pop up on Autotrader or Kijiji)

Lada Signet/Niva/Samara (Any Lada would do really, like the Impulfire, these are exceedingly rare nowadays. Rust and shitty Soviet engineering is a bitch.)

CaptDale - is secretly British > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 02/17/2016 at 15:02

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My current 3 car Garage:

2006 Pontiac GTO

1979 Porsche 928

1969 Austin Healey Sprite MKIV

(not my photo)

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > CaptDale - is secretly British 02/17/2016 at 15:09

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You god damn champion. Winner.

CaptDale - is secretly British > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 02/17/2016 at 15:26

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Thank you, too bad two of 3 aren’t technically running atm. I love two door sports cars. Plus the rear seats are nice too, but my car doesn’t have 4 doors. So great!

Jack Does Cars > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 02/21/2016 at 22:27

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My future three car garage must include at least one Volvo 245 Turbo wagon, a Mercedes 190 Cosworth, and a 1965 Oldsmobile Delta 88 with the 425