One car that fits your requirements would be a King Midget. These cars were originally made in Athens, Ohio. The stripped down model had an 8 horsepower, single cylinder, Wisconsin air cooled engine. Electric start was an option, otherwise you pulled a recoil starter as on a lawnmower. The engine spark was from a magneto. The windshield wiper was crank operated. Not only did the car not have computer parts, but it didn’t have very many parts at all. I remember reading an artice about a couple that took a cross country trip in a King Midget in an early 1950’s Popular Mechanics or Popular Science magazine.
Oh, please, not ANOTHER “EMP-knocked-out-all-the-electronics-so-the-world-comes-to -a-standstill” movie.
Use a VW. Like Woody Allen said in Sleeper, “These things ran forever”.
A man’s evils live on after him, his good is oft interred with his bones… With old automobiles the opposite is true. Please forgive me here. It’s been many years since I recited the speach… The nostalgic appeal of simpler old automobiles is great and many old cars can be enjoyed, even as daily drivers. VWs, especially, have a great following and are reasonably easily repaired with parts available from many sources. But from the early 60s, all manner of domestic models are more easily restored and economical to operate on a daily basis. Plymouth Valiants are a good example, as are Ford Falcons, Mercury Comets, Chevy IIs, I recall that all these domestics enjoyed better fuel economy than the Beatle.
But from the early 60s, all manner of domestic models are more easily restored and economical to operate on a daily basis. Plymouth Valiants are a good example, as are Ford Falcons, Mercury Comets, Chevy IIs, I recall that all these domestics enjoyed better fuel economy than the Beatle.
Not that I’m a fan of any of those specific cars, but that is the last era of domestic cars that I would have any interesting in owning. They were certainly simple to fix, but I’m not sure you could easily find the correct parts for them today.
Sorry, but the old bug is still much cooler (try to find anyone under 40 who would recognize any of those domestics in stock form) any you can still buy a pretty nice one for well under $10K.
Craig:
I am under 40 and I would recognize any of those cars at a glance. I used to own a 64 comet with a 289 and an automatic. Although I never owned a Falcon they are easily recognized as the Ford counterpart to the Comet. I have a 65 Chevy II in my garage right now that is highly modified although it was stock when my friend purchased it. Even though I have never owned a Plymouth Valiant I am the proud owner of 2 1969 Dodge Darts. One is a 340ci 4bbl and the other is a 300 hp slant six.
~Michael
OK, make that under 30.
I’m well over 40 and I remember them new. I understand there are lots of hot rods build from these cars, that’s what I meant by “in stock form.” In their original form as economy cars, when they “enjoyed better fuel economy than the beetle” (sp, beatles was the band, a pun on beat), they were pretty forgettable. I don’t buy domestics, but there is something to be said for 50-60s domestic cars, after that era I lose interest quickly.
I’m not afraid of computers, I just find them a “less than elegant” way
Well, what is the intent of this vehicle? Is it a hobby that you want to spend time getting greasy on, or is it transportation? If it’s a hobby, and you want something you can tinker with and have fun working on, then by all means get an old pre-computer car with a carb. On the other hand, if you want dependable, efficient, clean transportation, get a late model vehicle with a computer. If you want both, you’re probably out of luck.
At my age, I still think these cars are new. To me, new cars are 1946 and later models–those made after WW II. Old cars are prewar models. When I was a kid, wealthy people had a post-WW II car. My family and people in our income bracket, drove pre-war cars. I still tend to think this way.
Of course they’re all hobbies and if they ever get you greasy, it’s time to detail the engine. If they’re not dependable transportation, fix them.
Thanks, but I’ll pass on the “late model vehicles with a computer.” Personally, if I ever want to drive a computer, I’ll borrow my kids play-station and play some Grand Theft Auto.
Older cars can still definitely be economical transportation, but only if you can find one in good shape and you can do your own maintenance. Even if you could buy a brand-new car with points and a carburetor, it would still be prohibitively expensive to pay someone to maintain it with how much getting mechanical work costs these days and how often old cars needed to get something or other done to them.
Also, while I agree the domestic models you’ve mentioned got reasonable gas mileage for cars of their size and day, there’s no freakin’ way a 60’s Valiant or a Falcon or a Nova got better mileage than a 60’s Beetle. On a very very good day one of those would get maybe upper 20’s whereas a beetle would consistently get mid-30’s-- at least that’s what my 69 Beetle got. In the mid-70’s the Beetle did start to get a little bloated with a bigger engine and a fuel injection system that didn’t work all that well, at which point its economy edge slipped to the domestic compacts and especially the Japanese ones.