Cheap, unique classic cars.

"jkm7680" (jkm7680) 04/17/2015 at 19:39 • Filed to: None

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Classic cars are a mixed bag, they’re either insanely expensive or not quite there yet.

My question to Oppo is simple.

What is a unique classic car, that still can be had for under $10,000. Preferably something quirky and different.

The Volvo P1800 seems to be a good example, as you still can get running and driving examples for under $10,000. But what else is out there?

ranwhenparked > jkm7680 04/17/2015 at 19:54

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I think 1800s under $10,000 are getting pretty hard to come by in decent condition, values have been on the upswing for some time now. You can still find Karmann Ghias running, with decent cosmetics, for $8k on up (restored ones are obviously much more).

jjhats > jkm7680 04/17/2015 at 19:56

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jkm7680 > ranwhenparked 04/17/2015 at 20:01

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I’ve seen a fairly decent amount of them in acceptable enough running condition for under $10,000. But there aren’t that many out there to begin with so that complicates things a little bit.

twinturbobmw > jkm7680 04/17/2015 at 20:07

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Not sure if this qualifies for unique enough, but I’ve always been a fan of the Triumph TR6, and from what I’ve heard they’re pretty good to drive as well.

jjhats > jkm7680 04/17/2015 at 20:12

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so kinja can go suck a dick and i pretty much detest every oart of this website but i had a perfect picture reply formatted which said it was pending and is now gone so.....

porsche 914

corvette c3

chevy nova

vw karmann ghia/beetle/van/every other car they made with an engine in the trunk

mgb gt

jeep cj7

bmw 2002

datsun 240

65 mustang

second gen t-bird

TheVancen- In Pursuit of a Greater Payday and Car Parts > jkm7680 04/17/2015 at 20:15

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I’ve seen MK I Capris and a few MK IIs pop up occasionally. Haven’t seen one over 8 grand, and that was a 2.8 Ghia with fresh paint. Saw a ‘71 MK I 2 litre go for just over 3k.

I’m not counting the Tickford I saw a couple years ago. But then again, 16 thousand for an Aston Martin tuned Ford Capri is not bad at all.

RallyWrench > jkm7680 04/17/2015 at 20:15

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So many options.

Hard to go wrong with a fintail W111 Mercedes:

http://inlandempire.craigslist.org/cto/4950748064…

Or a Ponton

BMW Bavarias are one of my favorite cars, and can be had for less than $8k all day

VW squarebacks, another car I love, are all over the place for well under $10k

If you can find a 100LS, you’ll likely be under budget. Project sedans are $1000 cars.

Hard to go wrong with a Volvo 544 or 122S, 2 of my coworkers drive one of these

Datsun 510s are still under 10 for the most part, but will likely go up. Same for 240Zs

For much less, you can be really weird and get a B210

Hard to find, but Toyota Coronas are cool

Saab 96s are still pretty affordable

Chevy Vega, looks neat but cheap for a reason

Ford Maverick

That’s enough for now, too many bad ideas floating around in my head, and I just bought myself a cheap old classic for 1/4 of that budget:

SonorousSpeedJoe > jkm7680 04/17/2015 at 20:33

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I think that running Corvairs can be had for under $10k.

GenuineAlexReid - The Reidus > jkm7680 04/17/2015 at 21:41

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Gonna go ahead and shamelessly plug the Datsun Roadster (I have one), because it can be had for cheap and they are gorgeous.

jkm7680 > GenuineAlexReid - The Reidus 04/17/2015 at 21:54

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There just aren’t many out there! Rust is a huge problem from what I have seen though.

Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection > twinturbobmw 04/17/2015 at 22:14

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Here in the south a show quality tr6 is up around 30k but good weekend drivers still go for under 1/3 of that. Non running cars can still be had for under 2 grand, too.

GenuineAlexReid - The Reidus > jkm7680 04/17/2015 at 22:30

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You are correct on both accounts, but luckily it’s not a unibody car, and the frames are pretty strong. What I’m experiencing right now is rotten floors, and a rebuild of the brake system, that being said, I didn’t pay anywhere close to $10,000 so you gotta expect the usual rust!

Slant6 > jkm7680 04/17/2015 at 22:33

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If you’re interested in a cheap old muscle car that hasn’t exploded in price yet I’d go A body mopar. It’s a wide range of models and engines but there was a /Drive video recently about how they’re so cheap and a good starting point for any build and fun to hoon in stock form.

I have a 65 Dart that is fun even with the 225 slant 6 (it’s a big block for a slant 6 compared to the 170). It’s not my favorite styled dart (1968) but they can still be had for cheap and most were and still are well maintained. Perfect daily classics.

jkm7680 > Slant6 04/17/2015 at 22:34

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Thanks for the tips! I’ve seen a few Dodge Dart Swingers out there. I’d love manual transmission though, which doesn’t seem to be very common unless it is cheap to perform a swap.

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > SonorousSpeedJoe 04/17/2015 at 22:40

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Ponton maintenance etc is $$$. I almost got one. I have the w123 but want a w111. Someone offered me $15k for my 240z, my investment is over that, going up all the time!

Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection > jkm7680 04/17/2015 at 22:44

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Triumph GT6: essentially a Spitfire fixed-head coupé with a 2-liter six in place of the 1500cc four.

Alfa Spider: low cost of entry for a Classic Italian roadster. 80s models regularly go for under 5k while a decent weekend driver can still be had for under $10k

AMC Javelin: now kind of a forgotten pony car - overshadowed by many other vehicles but it was a damned fine performer in its day. Hugely successful in Trans Am racing and also the first pony car used as a highway patrol interceptor vehicle. Good drivers are regularly sold around the 10k mark:

Trucks: especially non-GM or Ford trucks. Mazda REPU or Toyota Scout or Hilux pre-1982 can be found cheap in good condition.

Honda N600 or Z600. Kei cars sold in the US before the Civic was even designed. The Z was the sporty hatch:

And the N was its more upright brother:

Both featured the same high-revving air-cooled 600cc parallel twin. A lot of people thought it was a motorcycle engine but it was exclusively used in Honda cars. Readily available for under 10 grand.

So I've given you some variety. Go out and find something.

jkm7680 > Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection 04/17/2015 at 22:47

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Thanks for the tips! The Honda isn’t my thing, but the other three look pretty good to me!

I have considered a Javelin though.

Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection > jkm7680 04/17/2015 at 22:52

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Here is a great place to look

jkm7680 > Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection 04/17/2015 at 22:57

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Thanks, I’ll take a look!

SonorousSpeedJoe > 415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) 04/17/2015 at 23:00

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I’m talking about the Corvair; was your reply intended for TFritch?

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > SonorousSpeedJoe 04/18/2015 at 00:01

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I’m not sure now, my phone does weird things with kinja, here on the laptop is easier. Crazy things happen with typing on my Galaxy for some reason, only on kinja.

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > jkm7680 04/18/2015 at 00:01

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Ponton maintenance etc is $$$. I almost got one. I have the w123 but want a w111. Someone offered me $15k for my 240z, my investment is over that, going up all the time!

SonorousSpeedJoe > 415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) 04/18/2015 at 00:07

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I know that feel - Kinja’s latest quirks and my SwiftKey keyboard’s insistence on taking up half the screen of my Galaxy Note II can be pretty frustrating.

Slant6 > jkm7680 04/18/2015 at 08:51

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They’re easy enough to swap but the Torqueflite autos take a ton of power and are bullet proof. I’d rather have an auto with a shift kit. The manuals are pretty crude. It would be cool though.

Jedidiah > jkm7680 04/18/2015 at 22:20

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Oldsmobiles are often under-represented at car shows. You can usually pick up a Cutlass Supreme at a decent price.

A good Nash would far from bankrupt you and you’d probably be the only person with one for miles.

Prices of Studebakers vary depending on the local following, but you can get a Lark for a good price.

Packard Clippers are not too pricey. Kaiser Henry Js are not over priced and I’ll bet you’ve never seen one before.

AMCs are a typical hipster choice.

jkm7680 > Jedidiah 04/18/2015 at 22:21

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Gracias for the tips, I’ll keep an eye out for those.

NJAnon > jkm7680 04/19/2015 at 10:57

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How classic jkm? carburetor era of fuel injected era? Ford LTD pretty sure can be gotten for less than $10,000. Or a 1980’s Monte Carlo. Issue isn’t price. Issue is getting a quality one that isn’t sunburnt or needing insane restoration.

BlurpleToyotaDishwasher > TheVancen- In Pursuit of a Greater Payday and Car Parts 04/20/2015 at 14:52

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That’s way, way cheaper than here. It’s like the inverse Land Rover.