25th Aug 2012, 16:48
I live in Northeast Canada, where roads are salted heavily and it snows 6 months of the year. Cars do not last long, even when undercoated and winter driven. A lot of people tried the earlier Japanese cars and small pickups, and they rusted too quickly, and they never bought another after. Unlike the west coast, we prefer domestics here, especially Chevy and Ford. Parts are cheap and easy to find, and mechanics can fix them easy if needed, as they are familiar with these.
Full frame cars and full size trucks are sought after as they stand up to rust a lot better and the frames can be undercoated. I see many, many 20 or 30 year old Ford and Chevy pickups on the road here, and a few 80's Crown Vics, Caprices and Town Cars. A few Monte Carlos, Cutlasses and Mustangs too.
Never any imported cars older than 15 years on the road ever, other than the odd MGB or Benz; they all rusted out a long time ago. Any rust free model would definitely be a rare collector's item around here, but most collect V-8 RWD domestics.
A lot of people on this site seem to have something against domestic cars, but from my experience they have been great. We used to get 300000 kilometers or sometimes miles out of all our 80's /90's GM products, and sell them still running with their original drivetrain.
I have also gotten half a million kms from an 80's Crown Victoria, and an 80's Econoline van.
Some imports were OK, my 80's Subaru's were good and a 2001 Elantra was great, both made over 250k, but my 97 Nissan Quest, 2002 Sentra, and 2004 Civic were all dead way before 200k. Also Mitsubishi 3.0 engines were awful in the 90's, avoid at all costs...
However I find domestic cars to be a better investment and more reliable in the long run.
My 97 Ford Ranger has 257000 on it and runs like new, my 2001 Mercury Marquis has 235000 on it and it's mint, and my 1982 Chevy Scottsdale longbox 3/4 ton has 365000 on it and runs like a champ; never ever died on me, even on the coldest winter days.
Why would I take a chance with an imported car again when I have 3 older domestics that run like new?
26th Aug 2012, 22:23
Imported cars don't have frames, they are unibody in most all cases. The suspensions on many do sag under the cars weight, and Toyota just recalled a huge number because the entire rear suspensions can collapse.
28th Aug 2012, 12:20
There is a lot of misinformation being displayed here. It's really old-fashioned and overly generalized to suggest that a unibody car frame is automatically unsafe. I'd assume people making such blanket statements aren't engineers either, which would explain it.
As mentioned, I too own a classic: A HUGE 4 door, 22 foot long monster. Layman's logic would suggest that it's safer. Layman's logic isn't based in science. Anyone who even has a remote clue about vehicle dynamics would know this car would probably suffer a far greater degree of damage than most anything made today - not because it was intentionally engineered to be that way, but simply because the technology and know-how didn't exist back then.
Either way, stating facts seems to not really affect things, and I'm sure more misinformation will follow about how all unibody frame cars sage, or some other nonsense.
And I'm sorry... a late 70's Lincoln isn't a "classic"...
29th Aug 2012, 09:19
I don't like unibodies. With age in the Northeast, ours went to the junkyard. If in an accident, I sold immediately as they were hard to repair. I had one that ate up tires over this issue. In my opinion, a full frame car is better as it rides better with less rattles. On domestics I added frame connectors, but still, a full frame is more solid.
29th Aug 2012, 13:14
I have to question why you own a very old car. It seems you find more fault with it than it deserves.
It's from a specific slice of time. To jump years into the future, it may be better to compare a full frame car to modern ones with 5 star crash tests. Cars like Crown Vics or Caprice, which I would prefer to be in vs a small unibody in a crash. Or the newest equivalents. They certainly worked great for me on long business and pleasure trips, and I drive a lot.
There are full frame vehicles with air bags, side protection and ABS etc. Read the crash ratings and let us know the crash rating of it. If it's 5 stars, let us know what new unibody model you own.
29th Aug 2012, 16:53
There is no misinformation; most of this is what type of car somebody prefers, and some of it is opinion based... just like your opinion that late 70's cars are not classics.
Now I've really heard it all.
30th Aug 2012, 10:28
Incorrect again. A classic as far as registration purposes, are vehicles typically 20 plus years of age in most states.
Also, recent classics can even be admitted in car shows, and I have seen 1984 as a cut off date. You can own a distinctive car, have extreme low mileage, very well cared for and feel comfortable using the terminology.
As far as older cars and safety; consider the following. If you have a classic, its actual exposure outside the garage it resides in is typically very limited. Low annual mileage; perhaps to a cruise night or weekend show. And that's it.
The vintage and classic cars are fun. There is a lot of effort keeping them immaculate, and the best rewards are taking them out. My best have been winning trophies with my children present, and they helped me detail and polish them. Getting up at 6 AM at a Fathers Day show and putting my car(s) inside a mall and winning was a great feeling. And there have been many other examples as well.
You can own a newer unibody for example, and it doesn't mean you are ever totally immune to danger. I could buy a new unibody Prius and then drive it out to go rock climbing. I could go offroad, do hill climbing and flip a new truck. I do water ski, jet ski, and even snow ski, and take a new car to get there. My kids can drive and get hurt in sports activities or games. The safest is not to drive at all and stay home. All of these activities were by car, and I am exposing myself to mechanical injuries. There are inherent dangers everywhere. I remember trying to totally childproof my home, and the kids still got in their share of scrapes.
I would rather drive very cautiously, and use sense and enjoy activities. I have owned new motorcycles over many years, and learned to trust no one's intentions until they do it. It certainly kept me accident free on my cars as well. I look at road hazards as well, even the smallest issues, by having a bike.
Lastly, I also wonder how many people shop for a new car and ask if its unibody or full frame at a dealership. I ask about ABS, amenities, and applications, and it has worked fine for me.
Good luck.
24th Aug 2012, 18:23
Good for you, go drive your me too Prius.
I will keep floating down the road in my Lincoln, not caring what my fuel mileage is, because it never bothered me.
Oh - and while we are on the carburetor topic, my 1977 Grand Prix never had any carburetor adjustments or issues, nor did my 84 Grand Prix with over 200,000 miles. I just cleaned them every so often, and they were good to go.