Falcon 2-door wagon is my current lust, but I think a Volvo Amazon would be amazing. Those are great and very classic looking but relatively modern driving cars.
Falcon 2-door wagon is my current lust, but I think a Volvo Amazon would be amazing. Those are great and very classic looking but relatively modern driving cars.
I was startled by how nice to drive a Volvo 122s is. I expected old american car type ride and handling and was surprised by the mix of German and British feel it had. Somewhere in between a BMW E9 and a MGB.
I want one pretty badly. Make it a longroof
nicksta43 wrote: If you're fearless.
I vote for this too, I bet they drive better than almost every other car mentioned here, and you can get them for $15k. I am pretty sure other than a mid 70s spider or berlina, or a 75 alfetta if you can find one, the time has passed for a 15k 4 cylinder Alfa DD. I'm sure they are out there, but I would be surprised to see a gtv for sale in ca under $30k that wasn't pretty rusty. Unless its a beater 4 door sedan Datsun 510s aren't easy either. Ford Capri or a really nice pinto would work too.
In reply to nicksta43, Travis_K:
I'm not THAT fearless....
Ford's smaller "poor man's mustang" might be a winner here. Mavericks are cheap and many are powered by the same 302 as the mustang. I had a smog-tastic low compression 74 Maverick that would SCOOT. They are light... they weigh the same as a modern WRX.
Mine had A/C, but those old Motorcraft compressors don't take kindly to R134 conversions. You would have to come up with some way to mount a Sanden or other compressor.
The BMW Bavaria is a great choice.(Slightly biased here) You will have one the nicest ones around for under 10K, way underpriced. Sweet vintage looks with just the right amount of creature comforts, most have AC, less with power windows, no problem finding a manual transmission. Decent suspension, semi trailing arm rear, struts in the front, with modern sized wheels and tires they handle great. Fantastic brakes, 4 piston front calipers, 2 piston rear. Right around 3,000 lbs, but very roomy, like 6+ feet tall in the back seat. It's the front half of an E9 with a usable back seat.
I vote a 1uz (lexus ls400 32valve v8) powered ra29 celica. I'll take mine on te37v wheels in bronze with itbs and a v160 getrag
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bmwbav wrote: The BMW Bavaria is a great choice.(Slightly biased here) You will have one the nicest ones around for under 10K, way underpriced. Sweet vintage looks with just the right amount of creature comforts, most have AC, less with power windows, no problem finding a manual transmission. Decent suspension, semi trailing arm rear, struts in the front, with modern sized wheels and tires they handle great. Fantastic brakes, 4 piston front calipers, 2 piston rear. Right around 3,000 lbs, but very roomy, like 6+ feet tall in the back seat. It's the front half of an E9 with a usable back seat.
Do the coupes (3.0 cs? 3.0 csl?) fetch a big premium over the four-door BMWs of that era?
In reply to Mitchell:
Yes, yes they do. The cheapest one I have been able to find (that was not beaten)over the last couple of months was 21k. You can find Bavarias for much less.
In reply to Geekspeed:
Yes, prices are dramatically different, often 3-4X more for a same year coupe. The coupes are pretty, and there are pretty major differences in the interior, the sedan is much simpler inside, the E9 body is actually made by Karman. Drivetrain and suspension are the same, rear suspension is slightly different, the coupe having separate springs and shocks, the sedan has the springs on the struts. The driving characteristics are better in the sedan, the coupe has way more chassis flex with no B-pillar and the airy greenhouse, don't open or shut the doors when it's jacked up.
Hah! I was going to say Bavaria, too. Fairly roomy, simple, and can be peppy enough to keep up on present day highways.
My second choice would be a 2002 with a modest 2.5 six. 200hp or more and 2200 lbs. Nice size for maneuvering in crowded places.
Curtis already beat me to it. The answer here is Maverick. Mav till you can't Mav no more.
$15k in SoCal puts you in the cream of the crop for Opel Mantas or a pretty darn nice GT as well. For that much you can hold out for an EFI '75 Manta, or buy a nice earlier one and give Gil a call (OpelGTSoutce) and have all the goodies from Europe mailed to your door to upgrade.
I'd also be looking for a nice body in something like a Rambler, Falcon, Valiant, or Chevy II. A 4-door variant of any of those should be easily under your max budget, and the 6-cylinder engine coupled to a modern transmission should yield reliable fuel economy with minimal drama.
Mercedes 450SEL 6.9
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes-Benz_450SEL_6.9
Just to throw it out there my FB RX7 with an efi 5.0 swapped in is a fantastic driver, pulls down 28mpg and is a hilarious sleeper that fits anywhere
I daily a Land Rover, and own both a fiat 124 and a saab 900 turbo.. while I think a Citroen SM is really cool, I know better. The engine alone would bankrupt most people, let alone all the high pressure hydraulics.
The Bavarias are decent looking right up until you compare it to the E9. Kinda like the gal with the hot sister
One thing very much worth noting is that the Bavarias have better rustproofing. E9s are notorious rusters, and I've reconciled myself to massive patch panels and such if I ever want to own one. OTOH there's usually a decent Bavaria on our local CL for $4 to $10K at any given time.
Another vote for an Alfa Romeo GTV. Beautiful car.
Although those old Celicas and 510s are pretty nice also.
Oh and for those of you who don't like smelling like unfiltered exhaust but don't want to lose HP, check out the Random Technology metallic cored, high flow cats.
I used one of these in the mid pipe of my FD back when I used to HPDE frequently enough to burn through traditional ceramic cats. At 300 cells per inch, these metallic cats lose very little HP compared to old school traditional cats. Might not be enough to pass a smog test but it won't stink like an unfiltered cat. I didn't notice a bit of difference in power output on my FD back in the day. Smelled a whole lot better though. 
Volvo 142/144/145 gets you: Fuel injection, FOUR WHEEL disc brakes, four speed with optional overdrive, available A/C, tons of room, modern safety belts, and the most comfortable seats known to man. My '70 142S is below. It had dual carbs factory but had a Weber conversion. Avoid Weber conversions like the plague. I still miss it.
A 164 gets you all the same plus a straight six. 4 door only.
If you get really lucky you can find a '74 or '75 240. A more modern dash and a strut front end, plus they imported them until '93 so are hugely upgradable with factory parts.
BIG margin here.... could be MASSIVE gas guzzler (Riv...) could be more economy minded...
I seriously doubt you can do any muscle/pony car for $15 grand... and have it daily-able. As an example... I sold my 70 SCJ Mach 1 for $20 grand 20 years ago.
The Volvo 1800 has no real back seat... and that includes the wagon... forget its being a 4 seater.
Now as far as the Merc or Beemer... if you look carefully... you might just find a real gem inside your price point.
As far as Japanese cars... the 510 in any of its body styles (2dr, 4dr, wagon) is a great chassis and with known mods (Z brakes, corrected rear suspension alignment kits, medium modified "L" engine [2.0 over the 1.6]) can make it a NICE car
Other rising sun offerings might be a Celica... or a mid 70s (74-75) Corona MkII
Chevelle/Nova
amg_rx7 wrote: Another vote for an Alfa Romeo GTV. Beautiful car.
those do look nice, way over $15k though, i bet for one that nice it would be 3 times that much.
Ranger50 wrote: Chevelle/Nova
You must mean a four door. I think every last two door in the OP's area has been a drag car for 10 years by now.
KyAllroad wrote: Quick look at local CL found this.
+1 for looking at less popular/pricier makes. An Apollo or Ventura instead of a Nova, a Comet over a Falcon or Maverick, etc.
For economy and a more modern driving experience, I think you will have to look for imports. Especially with garage space limitations. Remember: fitting it into the garage is one thing. Having enough space to do maintenance in there is quite another.
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