This is on my "todo" list
80 mercury zepher wagon
I had a 79 but they are the same.
I would add a 302 and a 5 speed for starters. Add handeling and go from there.
This is on my "todo" list
80 mercury zepher wagon
I had a 79 but they are the same.
I would add a 302 and a 5 speed for starters. Add handeling and go from there.
A little more looking and this looks exactly like my old wagon. Color and all.
2nd Gen VW Golf/Jetta. Plenty of platform and engine choices, millions sold worldwide. Like a lot of 80s cars, finding interior/exterior trim is tough, but mechanical bits are still around. Repro bits are starting to arrive (I've got repros of the GTI front bumper cover & round-light grille, but there's no fender flare kits yet).
My little 8v in happier times. Technically, it's a '92, but I just do like the vintage racing folks and call it a "continuation".
http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/build-threads-and-project-cars/1983-corolla-aka-surreptitious/52845/page1/
done this a few times now....
87 s10: http://www.pro-touring.com/showthread.php?43374-project-drivabeater
97 neon: http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/neon-acr-coupe-2012-challengedd-build/50461/page1/
and the one that was NOT challeneg budget oriented. true daily driver. rain, snow, hail, etc. (now for sale by the way....)
http://www.fullsizechevy.com/forum/general-discussion/projects-builds-restorations/466214-project-living-room-obs-eclb.html (not up to date by about a year or so....)
oldeskewltoy wrote:
If I've never told you before, I love that car. 
friedgreencorrado wrote:oldeskewltoy wrote:If I've never told you before, I love that car.
I had an 82 with that body style that I got for $500. No rust, ran fine, sucked cosmetically. Had to junk it after I pulled the engine, tore it down, and then lost my storage space for it. I still miss it.
G bodies can be fun rigs and there is beginning to be more repro parts and aftermarket parts available to them. The problem is finding one that has not been turned into a donk.
rebelgtp wrote: G bodies can be fun rigs and there is beginning to be more repro parts and aftermarket parts available to them. The problem is finding one that has not been turned into a donk.
Holy berkeley. Is that stuff so popular that there's now a "donk tax"?
Or a roundy car. I hate the roundy tax down here.
I always had a softspot for Swift GT / GTi's.
I'm a broken record recently.....but few things from the 1980s are (combined) as well-built, enjoyable to drive, easy to find parts for, generally reliable, cheap to buy now in decent shape, and easy to work on as an e30.....any of them, really.
I DD an '88 528e. Fairly bulletproof, quasi-vintage but still fits my Camry-esque needs while allowing me to appear more interesting than I actually am. I also do this because I believe car payments are the waving white flag that you've failed step one of life, but I understand I am extremely cheap, emphasis on extreme. Here are some realities:
1) Plan on replacing all the wear items when you purchase, and add that into the purchase price.
2) Accept imperfection. My car is an excellent daily, but I also understand that I will never trace that bad ground so it will continue to eat RF marker light bulbs, and no one else will either because it's an automatic eta and therefore the ugly stepsister in a stable full of more fun and sexier projects.
3) It will develop an issue when you are most stressed. Learn to love this way it mimics your kids or your spouse.
4) Be willing to learn the quirks, and maintain a sense of humor about them. Sure, I have to carry extra relays, but it's also extremely satisfying that the fastest fix is to throw the suspect one on the ground to give it an attitude adjustment.
Oh, uh, sorry for the rant. I love my 5, but still miss my 318is.
Margie
SilverFleet wrote: I am doing a "New England-Style Forced Restoration" on my 1987 CSX. That means I bought it as a project car and found out that it needed massive amounts of rust repair.
In the high salt content state of Pennsylvania, we call that "aerodyflythru"!
mine has served as a dd for a little while when my other 2 slightly more reliable pos were less than reliable.
little to no aftermarket even when they were at the peak of sales, yet it is a GM platform so creative cross-referencing reveals plenty of options.
still, it takes 2 to make 1:
as far as competent stock EFI, I'm running the original electronics(for a 2.0L factory turbo) with a 2.6L longblock swapped in and managed to pass emissions with flying colors.
Marjorie Suddard wrote: I also do this because I believe car payments are the waving white flag that you've failed step one of life...
Amen. People got conned into believing that a car loan is just the normal state of affairs. It's the worst financial decision "normal people" make. But no one ever accused me of being normal.
Marjorie Suddard wrote: 3) It will develop an issue when you are most stressed. Learn to love this way it mimics your kids or your spouse.
This is why we keep extra cars around.
rebelgtp wrote: G bodies can be fun rigs and there is beginning to be more repro parts and aftermarket parts available to them. The problem is finding one that has not been turned into a donk.
This. I wish I had kept my 79 Malibu. It was an absolute tank. It survived everything that I threw at it.
Marjorie Suddard wrote: I also do this because I believe car payments are the waving white flag that you've failed step one of life, but I understand I am extremely cheap, emphasis on extreme.
^This sentence is my favorite part of this whole thread! I totally agree, and I don't see myself ever having a car payment (unless Mazda decides to bring the diesel 6 wagon over here, then I may reconsider).
I daily drove a '77 280Z for about 3 years that had been back-dated to early 240Z carbs, no heat, no A/C, no carpet, etc., etc. Anything is possible. The 80's Toyotas seem like a very reasonable place to start, or the Fox body Mustangs. I wouldn't mind rocking that old wagon at the top of the page with the white lettered tires either! That thing's sick!
Oh, and there's a customer at the Toyota dealership next to my shop who comes in with a pristine looking mid-eighties Cressida wagon. It is sweet, probably as reliable as they come, and it even has 2 rear wipers! I would trade him straight up for my CR-V to have that thing as a DD!
I've DD'd my 86 MR2 for about six years straight until just recently when we picked up a third car (Maz5), and I still drive it to work every now and then. While I'm finally making decent money now, it wasn't always the case. Being a business owner in my previous professional roles, I saw so many ups & downs that there wasn't always money sitting around for me to pay someone to fix the car. I'm thankful that I've been able to do the majority of repairs with just hand tools and some cement under me. While it would've been nice a couple of times, it hasn't really required a parts car. I gotta agree that you have to settle for imperfection though.
m4ff3w wrote:Need to get motivated and get it back on the road....
Sorry this needs to be brough back. Anyone who can bring up not just a Maserati, but their own 80's Maserati in a thread talking about DD's automaticaly wins the internet for one day.
andrave wrote:I've often thought that EFI cars from the 80s are a "sweet spot" between old school and new school. I can tell you the Toyota EFI on my '84 is completely stock and hasn't needed anything at all. That's really kind of impressive for a 28 year old car. They're easy to live with, get reasonable mileage (thought I've heard going to MS can up the mileage a decent little bit) and reliable.I was thinking of that in the "technology is evil" thread, that the "friendliest" efi to me is the pre OBD-II stuff, which is exactly the stuff half the people in that thread hated because of its inability to self diagnose compared to new stuff. But its just so much simpler! Maybe its because the old stuff is so simple to truck into doing what you want. *note, this comment does NOT take into account vaccuum hose routings from 1978-1990.
Depends on the car for sure.... the MX6 has a great self-diagnostic system. 
As for my own thoughts on the matter... i still firmly believe that the cars of the 80s through the early 90s were the best cars ever made.
Parts are still easy to find as a rule. (There are exceptions)
Parts are cheap.
The cars are easy to work on as a rule. (There are exceptions.)
They're usually cheap enough to be disposable in the event of something terrible happening.
There's enough of them in junkyards that "restoring" one to 8/10 condition is easy and cheap assuming you're starting with a nice body.
They get the same gas mileage, often better than current cars. (Not talking about Detroit steel, obviously)
They're very "stealthy." I like not being noticed. Nobody gives my daily driver a second look, even with the stickers all over it and the bumper dumper exhaust.
Now that all being said... i don't think there's an 80s or 90s car i would ever truly "restore." While i love the cars to death, i don't think there's a single one i couldn't and wouldn't improve substantially by modifying it.
Example:
88-92 MX6 GT. I do NOT like these cars for what they are in stock form. They're merely "OK."
I like them for what they can become for NONE OF THE MONEY.
(Ok, this one is all of the money...)
This one is none of the money.
For your 80s/early 90s-tastic enjoyment:
I find humor in the title of " Miata Killer: Capri XR2"
JohnRW1621 wrote: I find humor in the title of " Miata Killer: Capri XR2"
Well... bear in mind that the title of the Magazine is "Turbo," so i imagine they're a little biased.
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