I'm back!

"The Swedish Bandit" (swedishbandit)
12/16/2013 at 11:59 • Filed to: 210 Caprice

And I have a serious car issue!

A couple of weeks ago, my dad bought a 57' Chevy 210 as a project car;

(Now on new wheels!!!)

And the thing is, the other day he also bought this lovely 91' Caprice Classic to use as a donor car for the 210.

The Caprice is in perfect working order and both me and my dad feels it would be a bit of a shame to start cutting it up right away. So therefore he said that I could have it as a winter beater in the meantime. Now this would be all fine and dandy, if it weren't for the fact that I already have a pretty awesome winter beater;

Nissan 180zx (S12), now in fully working order with ricer exhaust and all!

What it comes down to is the fact that I can only afford to keep one of them regoed at the time. Meaning that if I chose the Caprice I would probably sell the S12, and if I chose the S12 we would probably start disassembling a perfectly fine Caprice right away :/

Not much snow here yet so I'm asking you guys, how does a Caprice handle in the snow (as in, is it any fun?) and which car should I ultimately choose as my winterbeater?

DISCUSSION (20)

Your boy, BJR > The Swedish Bandit
12/16/2013 at 12:02

The caprice is a big fat redneck land barge. Cut it up right now.

area man > The Swedish Bandit
12/16/2013 at 12:03

I will take the Caprice off your hands.

Party-vi > The Swedish Bandit
12/16/2013 at 12:03

Keep the S12. Cutting up the Caprice means you and him have a nice winter project and can sell off any remaining parts to recoup some cash after you're done. Plus this gives you time to sort out any issues before the summer driving weather hits.

Also, why would you want to pay for the gas in the Caprice? I'm sure the S12 gets better mileage and is a lot lighter, which is what you'll be wanting in winter weather.

The Swedish Bandit > Your boy, BJR
12/16/2013 at 12:05

But it's so awesome! It makes lots of manly noises and yet it feels like driving on a cloud! It's also extremely fun to drive something so obnoxiously big in Sweden.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Your boy, BJR
12/16/2013 at 12:07

big fat redneck land barge

One could be forgiven for thinking you meant that's a bad thing.

You heretic.

FJ80WaitinForaLSV8 > The Swedish Bandit
12/16/2013 at 12:09

Don't cut up that beautiful Caprice. They handle fine in the winter. Just put 100-200 lbs of ballast in the trunk and you will be fine in the snow.

The Swedish Bandit > Party-vi
12/16/2013 at 12:11

Right now it hardly feels like the S12 gets any kind of good milage, but that probably might be my right foot's fault. The Caprice came with a 305, which is supposed to be the "economical" engine, right? + it also came with a full tank of gas!!!

But I guess you're right, I sure do need some kind of "bigger" project, apart from doing an axle swap on the Firebird...

The Swedish Bandit > FJ80WaitinForaLSV8
12/16/2013 at 12:15

This is what I'm most afraid of with the S12, ironically enough. We had a couple of days snow here some time ago and I couldn't even get it up a small ascend to the driveway. Had to lay gravel all over the place and take a good bit of runway speed to get it up.

Party-vi > The Swedish Bandit
12/16/2013 at 12:17

The 305 is a turd. Junk the block, port the heads and bolt them on to a Chevy 350.

The Swedish Bandit > area man
12/16/2013 at 12:17

Out of my cold dead hands, that is!

The Swedish Bandit > Party-vi
12/16/2013 at 12:22

No need to lecture me on that. The plan is to remove the body from the chassis on the Caprice and then fit the body of the 57' on said chassis. The 305 will still sit on the frame, but only as an "inspection" engine. Once that's all said and done, we will switch it out to something a bit wilder.

Party-vi > The Swedish Bandit
12/16/2013 at 12:25

Sweet!

Hoccy > The Swedish Bandit
12/16/2013 at 12:46

I'd chose the S12 for winter driving. The Caprice might be more comfortable, but I think it would be boring in the long run.

The Swedish Bandit > Hoccy
12/16/2013 at 12:57

I've driven the S12 in the snow quite a bit, and it is indeed quite fun and all. But it's also quite predictable, and it handles pretty much the same as the Volvo 240 I had the previous year.

I'm thinking that having a big and heavy car that selects a gear for you through some kind of "mystery lottery", might spice things up a bit.

Hoccy > The Swedish Bandit
12/16/2013 at 13:05

I'd driven enough automatics to know that the mystery gear changes drives me mad, especially during uphill driving or hooning. But i get what you mean, big and heavy cars can be quite fun and different to drive.

The Swedish Bandit > Hoccy
12/16/2013 at 13:10

One of my biggest fear is drifting an auto in say second gear, hitting the rev limiter and having the car change up to third, which in turn suddenly gives me infinite traction and sends the car into the direction it's currently pointing (read a ditch).

Have some real long and hard think about this decision to do.

TheD0k_2many toys 2little time > The Swedish Bandit
12/16/2013 at 20:47

Ill buy the s12 so your decision is easier.

The Swedish Bandit > TheD0k_2many toys 2little time
12/17/2013 at 03:44

Sure, if you come pick it up.

TheD0k_2many toys 2little time > The Swedish Bandit
12/17/2013 at 17:36

Where u at? Sweden? lol

The Swedish Bandit > TheD0k_2many toys 2little time
12/17/2013 at 17:44

Yup, the northern part of southern Sweden to be more specific :P