Need some help and thoughts with a theory about old cars and wagons

In theory we're just a bunch of sheep following the herd!

We all seem to have excuses even though we know it's more fun to own an older car and easier to work on.
Sadly in Illinois I had to get to work all year round. Sometimes driving was far from ideal even in a newer vehicle. When I could I drove a 1939 Ford 4-door, a 1939 Ford coupe, several diferent 55 and 57 Chevys. Those are only some of the older things I drove when I could.
Mostly I worked nights which meant often driving in ice and snow with cars that barely had heaters and defrost. I even tried a 1950 Harley year around for years. Not the smartest move I've made. Sometimes I'd start out the 12-15 miles to work on dry pavement then hit deep snow. Or get off work to brush snow a foot deep off the motorcycle seat. Found out many old cars didn't handle well on ice and freezing while driving wasn't easy.
I'm retired here in Florida and planned on only having older cars. No snow or ice but living on a lime rock road is sometimes almost as slimmy and slippery. And the 10 miles of four lane into town gets shallow ruts from big trucks. Not noticable until it rains hard. Then those ruts turn into little creeks. So still need a late model here to drive.
But really an older pick up truck or station wagon in good shape would do just as well.
Why did Mr Chrysler build a garage and park those purdy red trucks out by the highway?

 

The best thing to do is to have at least 2 cars on the road. One is your nice car that you drive in the nice weather months and the other is your "beater". Now it doesn't have to be a junk, but something that would be no great loss if you wore it out.

When we had our 2 Impala's on the road, one was our '72 that was a lower mileage NC car in real nice original condition. The other was our old '71 that I basically saved from the crusher. I know that most likely it would have had the rebuilt engine pulled and the rest hauled off, if the average guy had bought it, but I semi-reconditioned the car to make it an all around half decent car. Although the '72 was a great car, co-incidentally the '71 turned out to be one of the best cars I've ever owned. Not too bad for the price of $500 and it came with recent new paint to boot.

Bill

 

Bill In theory that's also a great idea. Back in Illinois I could afford to insure and license more cars than I could drive, plus RV's, a motorhome, and boat trailer. (Wife does not drive)
License and insurance here in Florida has gotten so out of hand that even basic coverage which is required makes having too many cars insured impossible for the average person.
Which is also why there are so many cars here with no insurance and illegal license plates.
I have one late model truck, two old cars, one RV and one flat bed insured and licensed. Had to sell my left----- to do that.
Next year I'll have to sell my one!

 

Yeah, I guess with a lot of vehicles and higher expenses, it can add up.

For someone to utilize the idea on a stricter economical budget, a person could switch registrations and insurance twice a year. Registrations would be a quick trip to the DMV with what should be just a reasonable fee, the insurance should just be a quick phone call. Although it is sure nice to have them both on the road at the same time.

Bill

 

That just reminded me of words I had with an older friend. He has several cars and trucks here and in NH. We were talking money and being retired and that came up. This is exactly what he does. He transferes insurance, cancels license, and gets them changed in the state he is in. Cheaper in the long run even after the fees.
Back in Illinois I could put insurance on hold during winter on RV's, old cars, and boat trailer. Can't do that in Florida.

Funny, when younger we'd talk about all the money we made...even if we didn't>
Retired people talk about their health and not enough money.

 

I didn't read every response but Vince's first one........

Junk the mini van!

Way back in 1999 I was working out of town, gone 2 weeks, home 3 days, gone 3 weeks, home 2 days etc and that was my life, $$$$$ was awesome but in the long run looking back, it wasn't due to the time spent away from home, anyways......

1999 I bout a brand new off the lot GMC Safari mini van (same as Chev Astro) for my honey thinking she will have trouble free riving for years....... what a f*cking wishful thinking mistake that was:banghead3:. 3 months later I bout from a old man a 86 fox body Mercury Marquis for myself, for $400! Needed tires and front brake pads.
I honestly wanted, but bout the wagon because the van now had blown up 2 times in that 3 months.

Before the first year was over with that van when ever we did family trips we took the old wagon because the van was such a turd we just never knew when it was going to blow up again and leave ya stranded with kids and dogs at the side of the HYW!

My old wagon was stolen and smashed just before I joined the forum in 2009 but in those 10 years, that van went through 2 transitions (3 in total), a rear end (2x in total), drive shaft, front rotors/calipers (2x in total) many front brake pads, water pump (2x in total) clutch fan, uncountable exterior door handles on the rear barn doors. In that same 10 years, I did NOTHING to the wagon and with exception of trips shared the same millage use weekly and the van still didn't have 100K miles on it yet.

Then electrical gremlins started taking over witch nobody could ever figure out, AC electrical gremlins took over, then the heater gremlins took over, in 2011 that van ticked me off so much I bout my honey a brand new Ford Escape.... I'm glad she chose the Ford because if she would have wanted a GM product it would have been battle royal, that van completely turned me off on new GM products. I turned the old van into a work mule and over all never drove it far but it blew up again this spring and I sold it for scrap parts to a guy, I made just over $300 and I'm glad it's gone.

Since that old wagon was stolen, for myself I have enjoyed basically trouble free driving with my new fleet of older 80's wagons. Mechanically when something has failed it's been minor and I've fixed it in my drive way in no time flat. My 87 Buick as example, I think I got the car in 2010 from a friend who had owned it for years, nothing has ever been rebuilt on it, only repairs I can think off is 1 alternator and 1 muffler, I haven't even had to change the brake pads/shoes yet. My 82 Olds, bout in 2009, both battery cables, and 1 wiper motor, other than that the car is basically untouched.

So far the Honeys Escape is doing fine, didn't have the 1st rear end sieze and the 1st trans blow at under 5000 miles, but time will tell.

I'll all ways drive a older car myself, Spark and Fuel, you got those and that's about it (in general) for trouble shooting.

I agree though that keeping a extra car insured is the way to go if you have to travel, I all ways did but now that I'm semi retired I don't.... I keep 1 wagon insured only and the honeys, and she car pools so her's only gets used by her 1 week out of 4 to go to work and back.