What can be a daily driver?

Yup, like I said, my 60 chevy was practically stock. Drove it every day. My winter driver now is my 87 Caprice estate, and my summer car is a 58 Chevy Delray with a straight six and a three on the tree.

 

i've been accused of being a "stocker" - preferring my vehicles just as they came from the factory. While I find no fault with updating and modifying, I look at it this way.. If I want to drive a '59 Chevy wagon, then that is what I want to drive. Why? Simple - because I like the feel, the sounds and the ride just as they are. "Clipping" an older car and putting a Nova or Camaro or Mustang II clip under them makes the car lose it's uniqueness and true character in my opinion. But that's just me. I drove our '59 Brookwood 2 door wagon daily for a few years ( except during the winter although the last time that I drove the car was on Christmas eve a few years ago but that's a story in itself ) and I loved every minute of it. But, to each his own..

 

Senri,
I would definitely consider an Eagle wagon if you can find a good one. As I stated in another thread earlier; They are relatively good on gas, they are easy to work on, parts are not difficult to find, and they never get stuck in snow or mud. Plus I would think that with the narrower roads you have there in Europe, the smaller size of the Eagle would be a little easier to manuever around with. Personally, I can't wait to get my '57 DeSoto wagon going next year. I plan to use it as a driver on a regular basis. I'm not a total purist, I will do mechanical upgrades to ensure safety, reliability, and parts availability. I will definitley go with a disc brake front end, and likely will replace the original engine/trans with later model 5.9L Magnum, and a TorqueFlite 3 speed. But I will take care to do things in such a manner that if I ever want to, I can return it back to stock. ANY car can be a daily driver. When I lived on the East coast, my daily driver for about three years was a 1934 Ford model BB dump truck, mechanical brakes, flathead V-8, and non-synchro tranny. Rode like a brick on a skateboard, but man was it fun!!

CaptCarl

 

Senri,
Kudos to you for starting such a great discussion topic. Thanks!

Honestly, this has been an internal debate for me as well. When I bought my '75 Caprice Estate wagon two years ago, my daily driver was an '05 Volvo S40 (sedan). Little over a month ago, the Volvo lease expired...and my debate on what will replace it began, lol.
I prefer reserving my wagon for weekends and road trips, so for a daily driver I find myself browsing classic car classifieds. Many of you here in this thread echo my thoughts and preferences about having a classic car as a daily driver over a modern one. I too want something around/under $10k in "very good" mechanic condition (all stock) and pleasing to the eye. While I would LOVE to add another clamshell wagon to my family, I find myself gravitating towards either an '83 Caprice Estate wagon or a '71-'75 two-door hardtop for my daily driver.

Great thread, glad to see so many entries here. Thanks for 'listening'!

 

geez...it pains me to drive my Pinto wagon in the crappy weather