Author Topic: Reliable classic cars for winter (Read 7929 times)

Prospect · « **on:** January 10, 2012, 06:42:15 PM »

I know this sounds a bit odd but are there any 35 plus year old cars or trucks that are good for the winter? Cars that have stood the test of time and weather. I'd like to eventually get a winter beater and much prefer older cars as I know how to work on them. Problem is they're usually hard to start in the winter and electrics don't like the moisture. There is a guy down the street that drives an old land rover all winter and I don't think it has heat.

mickey6 · « **Reply #1 on:** January 10, 2012, 07:32:34 PM »

Well my daily driver is a 53 Plymouth cranbrook. I have never had a cold start issue and all the original electric components work flawlessly and it's still 6 volt

. If you get an old car just be ready to take care of it (regular upkeep and fix a problem when it starts showing up) and it'll be fine.

Don R · « **Reply #2 on:** January 10, 2012, 07:39:08 PM »

Someone here posted his collection of early 70's era chevy trucks once. They are almost bullet proof, still reasonable to buy, anyone mechanical can work on them. There are millions of used engines that fit. They come in 4wd too. the drawback is fuel mileage. I assume with the correct engine that can be addressed to an extent too.

seanbarney41 · « **Reply #3 on:** January 10, 2012, 08:08:20 PM »

Prospect, do they salt the roads there? If they do, an old car in the winter is gonna be a losing proposition for you. Even a clean, solid old car will not last long in the salt (2-3 years maybe)...and, to me, it would be a selfish crime to to expose it to a salty, rusty, inevitable destruction. I live in Michigan, where the roads are salted, and rust free bodies cost 2+ times what they would down south or out west. I've had several old cars for winter beaters that were already too rusty for it to be practical to make 'em nice. They all ended up with a rear spring shakel coming through the back seat. They all ran perfect with awsome tropical blast heaters after 100's of thousands of miles when said rust destruction reared it's ugly head...the list- '75 Plymouth Fury, '73 Olds Omega, '76 Chevy Malibu, '91 9c1 chevy Caprice, '90 Dodge van...currently watching a '95 Chevy g10 van return to the iron ore it was made from...

Kong · « **Reply #4 on:** January 10, 2012, 10:08:35 PM »

Old VW bugs were pretty good in the winter, if the heater still worked. Air cooled engine meant no anti-freeze/water-pump problems, they started easily, and rear-engine-rear-wheel-drive meant they got along well in the snow too. They got pretty good gas milage and were fun to drive in the sense that you could just wail on them and not do much damage.

Emokid · « **Reply #5 on:** January 10, 2012, 10:17:57 PM »

Second that , my first car was a 57 beetle ( at the time more than twice my age) ran perfectly through the winter , and handlrs well on snow and ice .
Put in a webasto heater if you ever go that route though , the old airboxes are usualy rusted out , clogged or whatever and you might just freeze your b..s off

LokisTyro · « **Reply #6 on:** January 10, 2012, 10:34:52 PM »

+ another on the V-dub. However their crash ratings are ridiculous and they make rev-matching dull and tedious IMO.

BeSeeingYou · « **Reply #7 on:** January 10, 2012, 10:38:14 PM »

reliable 35+ year old car for a northern winter.....

faux fiddy · « **Reply #8 on:** January 11, 2012, 01:38:24 AM »

The old jeep eagle hatchback had reliable running gear and you can still find them. Not sure about all around liability, but the AWD or whatever it was kept you going forward.

tramp · « **Reply #9 on:** January 11, 2012, 03:43:58 AM »

old wranglers are pretty good
old dodge diplamat
had a cop car that was great in the snow for a rear whel drive

Prospect · « **Reply #10 on:** January 11, 2012, 06:41:39 AM »

Thanks for the responses guys.

Looks like there are options but I didn't consider the combination of salt and old metal as Don R mentioned. They excessively salt the roads here and it would probably eat 70's detroit bodies in short order. Would modern anti-rust proofing stop the rust or is it a waste of time?

seanbarney41 · « **Reply #11 on:** January 11, 2012, 02:36:18 PM »

yeah, there is good rust proofing such as por-15 etc. now, but it is really impossible to get it to where the rust actually starts, ...inside frame rails, inside quarter panel, box sections of sheetmetal such as rockers, window channels, etc. etc....I think they should use por-15 on the road instead of salt to melt the snow and ice

72 yellow · « **Reply #12 on:** January 11, 2012, 04:38:40 PM »

Quote from: seanbarney41 on January 10, 2012, 08:08:20 PM

Prospect, do they salt the roads there? If they do, an old car in the winter is gonna be a losing proposition for you. Even a clean, solid old car will not last long in the salt (2-3 years maybe)...and, to me, it would be a selfish crime to to expose it to a salty, rusty, inevitable destruction. I live in Michigan, where the roads are salted, and rust free bodies cost 2+ times what they would down south or out west. I've had several old cars for winter beaters that were already too rusty for it to be practical to make 'em nice. They all ended up with a rear spring shakel coming through the back seat. They all ran perfect with awsome tropical blast heaters after 100's of thousands of miles when said rust destruction reared it's ugly head...the list- '75 Plymouth Fury, '73 Olds Omega, '76 Chevy Malibu, '91 9c1 chevy Caprice, '90 Dodge van...currently watching a '95 Chevy g10 van return to the iron ore it was made from...

9c1 Caprice....Old bathtub cop car..Worked on many of those.

rbmgf7 · « **Reply #13 on:** January 11, 2012, 05:59:45 PM »

Classic Bronco, baby!

Ted Nugent's 1974 Ford Bronco

BLUE71TURBO · « **Reply #14 on:** January 11, 2012, 07:11:38 PM »

Now this is what you need !

PRINOTH TROOPER Track Vehicle Sand and Snow

Don R · « **Reply #15 on:** January 11, 2012, 08:07:58 PM »

The beetle is good if you learn to work on them. They are quirky but not hard once you learn what they want. A 12v blower motor on the stock, well maintained heater boxes works well. They go under the back seat, mine was awesome. It would even defrost the windshield.

Prospect · « **Reply #16 on:** January 12, 2012, 04:58:55 AM »

Quote from: Don R on January 11, 2012, 08:07:58 PM

The beetle is good if you learn to work on them. They are quirky but not hard once you learn what they want. A 12v blower motor on the stock, well maintained heater boxes works well. They go under the back seat, mine was awesome. It would even defrost the windshield.

Are they very prone to rust? Like I said they salt the roads here all the time.

mickey6 · « **Reply #17 on:** January 12, 2012, 12:36:51 PM »

anything that old is going to be prone to rust in the road conditions where you are at.

Prospect · « **Reply #18 on:** January 12, 2012, 04:56:15 PM »

Quote from: mickey6 on January 12, 2012, 12:36:51 PM

anything that old is going to be prone to rust in the road conditions where you are at.

Oh well. There goes that idea.

BeSeeingYou · « **Reply #19 on:** January 12, 2012, 05:09:03 PM »

Like your location the use of chemical/salt deicers here is pretty heavy. The only decent 35+ year old cars you see here are in the hands of collectors who use them in the summer. The others are either in the junkyard or the few you do see on the road are in tough shape. I would imagine the situation is similar where you are at. I suppose you could find something from the warmer parts of the U.S. but the better idea is to rethink the whole thing and get something newer. It's also a safety issue with the airbags and the better impact resistance of the newer cars. The old beaters are death traps in comparison.

mickey6 · « **Reply #20 on:** January 12, 2012, 05:47:25 PM »

Quote from: srust58 on January 12, 2012, 05:09:03 PM

Like your location the use of chemical/salt deicers here is pretty heavy. The only decent 35+ year old cars you see here are in the hands of collectors who use them in the summer. The others are either in the junkyard or the few you do see on the road are in tough shape. I would imagine the situation is similar where you are at. I suppose you could find something from the warmer parts of the U.S. but the better idea is to rethink the whole thing and get something newer. It's also a safety issue with the airbags and the better impact resistance of the newer cars. The old beaters are death traps in comparison.

+ one get something 90s or newer with front or all wheel drive.

Gordon · « **Reply #21 on:** January 12, 2012, 05:58:21 PM »

Quote from: mickey6 on January 12, 2012, 05:47:25 PM

Quote from: srust58 on January 12, 2012, 05:09:03 PM
Like your location the use of chemical/salt deicers here is pretty heavy. The only decent 35+ year old cars you see here are in the hands of collectors who use them in the summer. The others are either in the junkyard or the few you do see on the road are in tough shape. I would imagine the situation is similar where you are at. I suppose you could find something from the warmer parts of the U.S. but the better idea is to rethink the whole thing and get something newer. It's also a safety issue with the airbags and the better impact resistance of the newer cars. The old beaters are death traps in comparison.

+ one get something 90s or newer with front or all wheel drive.

AWD Subaru!

I've had a '96 Legacy wagon for six years. It was a great winter weather car when we lived in Denver, and it's actually really easy to work on. Plus it has all the modern safety features like air bags and anti-lock brakes. It's sneaking up on 200K now and still going strong, although now that we're in Texas and don't need the AWD, the lure of a mid-size truck is getting much stronger.

BeSeeingYou · « **Reply #22 on:** January 12, 2012, 06:13:31 PM »

+1 on Subaru

Duanob · « **Reply #23 on:** January 20, 2012, 02:58:30 PM »

Jeep Waggoneer ! I had a 1967 it was the best car I ever owned. It's still running around an orchard in Eastern Washington. I sold it 30 year ago. They will go anywhere, period.

Subs are ok but I would stick with an older mid 80s GL. I had three of them all had over 200K on them. One had 300K and I sold still running and driving great. Legacys? I've had two (1992 and 1996) and I won't buy another subaru again especially the newer ones.

Grnrngr · « **Reply #24 on:** January 20, 2012, 04:34:59 PM »

I had a 67 and a 70 wagoneer and a 64 International scout when I lived at Tahoe, I'd be happy with any of them again, but yeah...gas sucks in 4x4 gas vehicles. Subarus were also very popular, and I'd be happy with either m 86 Bronco 2 or 90 Ranger 4x4. Cars? Not so much, although my 70 Bel Air, 72 Satellite, and 74 Grand Prix all did real good in the snow. You're kinda late to do it this year, but if everything near you is a rust bucket, wait til spring/summer, find one somewhere in the flatlands where there's no rust and undercoat the heck out of it, you should get a few seasons out of it..

Retro Rocket · « **Reply #25 on:** January 20, 2012, 04:54:57 PM »

Do you guys get the Japanese lite pickups.? I have a 1994 Isuzu 2.8 turbo diesel twin cab 4X4 that you couldn't kill with a nuclear bomb, great truck, good on fuel , excellent engine and goes anywhere.....

seanbarney41 · « **Reply #26 on:** January 20, 2012, 06:24:51 PM »

Quote from: Retro Rocket on January 20, 2012, 04:54:57 PM

Do you guys get the Japanese lite pickups.? I have a 1994 Isuzu 2.8 turbo diesel twin cab 4X4 that you couldn't kill with a nuclear bomb, great truck, good on fuel , excellent engine and goes anywhere.....

yup, had a little Nissan 2.0 4 banger with 5 speed, it rusted out too, but I still miss it...bought it for $300, lasted 4 years/40k miles

Retro Rocket · « **Reply #27 on:** January 20, 2012, 07:05:34 PM »

Quote from: seanbarney41 on January 20, 2012, 06:24:51 PM

Quote from: Retro Rocket on January 20, 2012, 04:54:57 PM
Do you guys get the Japanese lite pickups.? I have a 1994 Isuzu 2.8 turbo diesel twin cab 4X4 that you couldn't kill with a nuclear bomb, great truck, good on fuel , excellent engine and goes anywhere.....
yup, had a little Nissan 2.0 4 banger with 5 speed, it rusted out too, but I still miss it...bought it for $300, lasted 4 years/40k miles

Had mine for around 8 years and put lots of miles on it, still runs like a clock.....In that time i have changed a clutch and done the seals in the injector pump due to the crap diesel we get now {low sulfur}..

Duanob · « **Reply #28 on:** January 26, 2012, 09:43:33 AM »

Quote from: Retro Rocket on January 20, 2012, 04:54:57 PM

Do you guys get the Japanese lite pickups.? I have a 1994 Isuzu 2.8 turbo diesel twin cab 4X4 that you couldn't kill with a nuclear bomb, great truck, good on fuel , excellent engine and goes anywhere.....

NO! I've seen some damn cool cars in other countries that we can't get here in America. When we were in Costa Rica we rented a Hundyai Galloper turbo diesel 4 cyl SUV. That thing was built like a brick shyte house and fit 9 people in it. Nothing like the cheap SUVs we get here from Korea. There were also Nissan patrol and toyota landcruiser pick up trucks with TD as well.

I had a 94 Trooper gas powered and on second thought I would recommend that in a heart beat even over a subaru. Not great mileage but definitely go anywhere with the right tires and cheap to buy. I always thought a turbo diesel would've made that the perfect car.

Subarus have a following not unlike Honda SOHCs that bring the prices up to more than they are actually worth in some areas like the PNW.

Retro Rocket · « **Reply #29 on:** January 26, 2012, 03:58:48 PM »

We have all those models here in Aus and a lot more too, turbo diesels are very popular here....

This is my Daughters car, its an Isuzu MU 3.1 turbo diesel and its built like a tank...

Gordon · « **Reply #30 on:** January 26, 2012, 04:32:22 PM »

Gasoline prices have always been much lower in the U.S. compared to many other parts of the world so Diesel engines for cars and small trucks never really caught on. Now that prices are getting higher we're seeing a few more Diesel options, mainly from VW from what I've seen, but hybrid cars are more popular, so that's where all the money and marketing is going.

We do have a serious lack of compact trucks now. Unfortunately it seems the trend is to make the smallest trucks in the mid-size range rather than compact, and many of them are hard to distinguish from a full size truck unless they're sitting right next to one.

Retro Rocket · « **Reply #31 on:** January 26, 2012, 05:16:41 PM »

Up until relatively recent times we had cheap gas as well but we have always had the diesel models, The diesel Toyota land cruisers have been here since the 1960's are were, and still are very popular. i think it has had more to do with the power your auto manufacturers have over the governments because all the excellent diesel models are Japanese, not American. Tariffs, tariffs and more tariffs, same for the motorcycle industry....

Gordon · « **Reply #32 on:** January 26, 2012, 05:29:28 PM »

Quote from: Retro Rocket on January 26, 2012, 05:16:41 PM

Up until relatively recent times we had cheap gas as well but we have always had the diesel models, The diesel Toyota land cruisers have been here since the 1960's are were, and still are very popular. i think it has had more to do with the power your auto manufacturers have over the governments because all the excellent diesel models are Japanese, not American. Tariffs, tariffs and more tariffs, same for the motorcycle industry....

Good point, but I bet the choice of cars and trucks in Australia has been heavily influenced by those available in GB, so even though your gas prices were lower than theirs, you still got a similar selection of vehicles.

BeSeeingYou · « **Reply #33 on:** January 26, 2012, 05:38:09 PM »

Diesel is significantly more expensive than gasoline here in the U.S. and has been for some time but it was cheaper at one time. Plus GM made some very bad diesel vehicles a while back that hurt the reputation of diesels in general at least in non commercial vehicles. They had a lot of trouble here in our extreme winter climate.

Retro Rocket · « **Reply #34 on:** January 26, 2012, 06:09:09 PM »

Quote from: Gordon on January 26, 2012, 05:29:28 PM

Quote from: Retro Rocket on January 26, 2012, 05:16:41 PM
Up until relatively recent times we had cheap gas as well but we have always had the diesel models, The diesel Toyota land cruisers have been here since the 1960's are were, and still are very popular. i think it has had more to do with the power your auto manufacturers have over the governments because all the excellent diesel models are Japanese, not American. Tariffs, tariffs and more tariffs, same for the motorcycle industry....

Good point, but I bet the choice of cars and trucks in Australia has been heavily influenced by those available in GB, so even though your gas prices were lower than theirs, you still got a similar selection of vehicles.

Actually quite the opposite, we have had our own manufacturers here since the 1940's, We've manufactured Ford GM and Chrysler cars here since the, well 40's for GM, 50's for the other 2. remember we invented the ute by modifying model A Ford.s, google it....

NZ had a heavy GB influence and we had some here but it wasn't that significant and it was a long time ago. We have had Japanese cars here since the 50's as well and they have always enjoyed a significant place in the market here. Most of our trucks have always been American, there were smaller Bedford and Austin trucks but for heavy haulage, American..... NZ has more diesel cars than we do.... Diesel is more expensive here as well but offers up to 30% better fuel economy over Petrol {gas} Some of the newer Japanese diesel family cars are getting 700 miles a tank of diesel{1000+kilometers}. so it has some significant advantages, engines last longer as well with the same regular maintenance as a gas engine...

Grnrngr · « **Reply #35 on:** January 26, 2012, 06:24:43 PM »

A while back, I had an 83 Nissan Maxima with a non-turbo 6cyl diesel. Gotta be one of my favorite cars, 30-35 mpg around town, 40-50 on roadtrips, had close to 270,000 miles when the body started falling apart, but that engine just kept going. I was thinking of pulling it out to put in a boat, but I had no room for a project like that at the time. Wasn't good in slippery situations tho, if the road was slick, it had a tendency to spin if you took your foot off the accelerator suddenly.

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Author Topic: Reliable classic cars for winter (Read 7929 times)