The Best Classic Cars for Daily Driving

[@jacobasuncion3132]

As a 22 yr old Gen Z this is how I look at it personally Antique: 1910’s-1950 Classic: 1950’s-1970’s Vintage: 1970- mid 80’s Retro: mid 80’s to late 90’s Modern Day Classics: mid 90’s to late 2000’s

[@Treaxvour]

Well, you're wrong.

[@sunmakergg]

​@@TreaxvourPresent your thesis, bud

[@kaffielekobold8695]

Agreed. Only change I'd personally make is swapping places between classic and vintage, and starting the retro years in the 70's. Beyond that, honestly yeah.

[@GusMortis]

It'll happen to you. One day, you will look at a post like this and feel old.

[@yeetyeet6015]

Im 23 and for the most part agreed

[@szymoncbortion69]

maybe if Road & Track was run by the homeboys at CCF, the world would be a better place.

[@samholdsworth420]

Boomers vs zoomers

[@mromatic17]

a buck 20 aint shiz

[@Caffeinated-DaVinci]

Nah, because then there'd be NO interesting cars left, because everybody would know about everything cheap and interesting and up the price (cough cough Donut Media cough cough)

[@mromatic17]

@@Caffeinated-DaVinci yep i hate donut and all their feaux car enthusiast idiots who can't even work on their own cars yet are suppose to be making videos about them!

[@THEW0LFB0Y]

My 1998 Ls400 just hit 120,000 miles this morning. Life's going good :)

[@myon-]

not even broken in yet

[@jungle_cs]

Man that things almost broken in, only 80k more to go

[@lassisuittio4394]

i got 240.000 on my 92 ls400. gas mileage is ass but otherwise its absolutely fantastic

[@asibley1864]

My 95 went 300,000 before I sold it. Definitely one of the best dailies I've ever had.

[@subieasunayuuki]

It's sadly a very rare car here 🥺

[@stephen3164]

Bottom line: daily driver car needs to have generous parts supply, especially for wear items, but also for maintenance or “keep it on the road” parts, like radiators, and throttle position sensors, and idle control valves, and ecus that control things. Once parts become an issue, no longer can really daily drive an old car.

[@lukebarron9336]

19 year old here and daily drive a 1996 e38 730i in London, aside from tax and fuel consumption it’s been great as a comfortable way to get between work,university and the pub with mates, and even better for long trips to the south of France, have absolutely loved it as a daily

[@lilairstrike535]

what a dream. sounds like the fkn life!!

[@combatscape2000]

How you sustain the insurance at that age if the smallest engine is 2.5?

[@harryharrison8301]

Also 19 and bought a manual e39 touring a few months ago. Absolutely love it.

[@lukebarron9336]

@@combatscape2000 in the uk car insurance has changed to crashes per your age group so I pay less on the 730 than I did on my 316i e36 at 18, not to say it’s cheap but I’m fortunate to have a decent job at my age and friends who enjoy a roadtrip and will split the high fuel costs for those

[@1quickI6]

Have been daily driving an E30 for the past 14 years and it’s been a fantastic experience. It was my first car.

[@BicBappy-u9o]

No BMW lasts 14 years

[@1quickI6]

@ mine has over 300k and continues to be rock solid 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@Amy-r2l]

Loved my dirty thirty. Taught me a ton about obd1 cars. Made learning Renix in my Cherokee a breeze

[@Caffeinated-DaVinci]

European, right? Euro countries have parts for the E30 to spare and everybody knows how to work on them. In the US, BMWs die because nobody knows how to work on them, the ones that do charge a ton and the parts are expensive and hard to get. If you're in the US, you're not having the normal E30 in 2024 experience.

[@1quickI6]

@Caffeinated-DaVinci E30s taught me how to work on cars because they are so simple and parts are so available. You don’t need to be wealthy or a genius to maintain one. At least that’s my lived experience 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@zh9732]

It's cheesy to make "classic" a time based term, because it's always pertained to not just something OLD, but something that's EXCELLENT too. A forgettable GM shitbox from 1987 isn't classic just by virtue of its age, whereas the Buick GNX is

[@ajs380]

I've been dailying a 1980 Camaro for about 7 years since the day I got it and it's been totally fine. Just had to swap a 700r4 in it for overdrive.

[@DoktahDoktah]

The vintage vs classic vs retro would be a great debate. List an old car and decide which one it is.

[@user-te8qh1gf3j]

i think the car labels are best categorized by Eras/years.

[@DoktahDoktah]

@user-te8qh1gf3j that's not a wrong way. But I think it also comes down to design, rarity, and year.

[@stephen3164]

90’s cars are the classic cars of today. But again, lots of those cars you end up with parts availability - and getting 30 year old parts from the junkyard to replace the 30 year old part that failed on your car is a stopgap at best. I have an NA Miata. Mazda still supports this vehicle, so you can get parts if you need - plus a robust aftermarket. I used to daily an NA Miata, but that was in 2008. The car was barely over 10 years old. Now it’s 30!

[@trahar6257]

I have to constantly tell myself I don’t need another Miata but I’d like 2 more

[@RogueCowTurd]

@@trahar6257 instead of getting more cars when you can only drive one at a time, spend that money doing mods. thats what i did and now my nb makes over 400hp

[@TonyBasuro]

Miata was a retro-styled instant classic with a look that stood out from the contemporary designs of it's day. Now they are also old and collectible, a fine vintage. 1st Gen Hyundai Excel is of a poorer vintage. So not much of a classic. However, they are both old enough for collector plates.

[@benmarley3086]

It also helps that the NB miata also uses a lot of NA miata parts

[@Malice_doll]

@@RogueCowTurdMy problem with my mr2. I want to buy a swapped sw20 with a v6 but that money could be used to finish my aw11 which already has carbon fiber panels and suspension upgrades.

[@Logan_Bull_]

hey my dads posted again

[@OwO---Drunk_Seulgi---OwO]

surprised both your dads stopped butt pirating long enough to post

[@john_toss]

The Jeep is a good daily driver especially if you don’t live in the rustbelt and have to worry about it rotting away.

[@Steinerrides]

Use a decent undercoating and they'll last for decades. its not hard, it's just messy and people are lazy, even us car people.

[@black99rt]

Get a real jeep with a frame, they are worth more for a reason - you can keep them on the road instead of junking them.

[@Steinerrides]

@@black99rt They're worth about the same with similar miles and condition. Maybe 10 years ago that was the case but Cherokees have gone up in value and Wranglers have not. And how does having a full frame or not change anything? They still rot out as fast as the unibodies did. Wranglers are also smaller and get worse mpg. They're cold in the winter unless you have a hard top. They're hot in the summer for the same reason. They're louder on the highway. They're really not a good daily compared to a Cherokee. I don't hate them, they're really good off road and fun to drive with the top off and doors removed when the weather is right, but Cherokees are objectively better at doing daily driver duties.

[@black99rt]

@Steinerrides When full frame vehicles rot they can be repaired in the backyard. When unibodies rot they get scrapped.

[@Steinerrides]

@black99rt the un on a cherokee is just as easy to patch as a full frame. I've done it before. It's just a frame without body mounts. There's plenty of examples of people practically replacing the entire un in their garage. Also you still have the issue of rotting out body mounts on a wrangler which isn't exactly trivail to fix.

[@landark1967]

Oh geez, I thought my coworkers were saying they wanted to drive because they liked to drive. Not because of my Celsior. It all makes sense now.

[@dhillaz]

They will still get a driver's experience sitting on the left side of the car

[@misophone]

“Task that must be completed” Lmaoo

[@realchevalierhd3071]

A classic car to me is anything before OBD II. I will not elaborate.

[@FlowmasterStang]

90s mustangs are pretty reliable and easy to work on. Simple design and parts are cheap and accessible. The sn95 is now 26-30 years old depending on the year, and depending on the state 25 is already a classic so the 99 (and soon 00) mustang can also be a classic. Plenty of people still daily drive them.

[@ofoosy]

For 10 years, up until this month. I daily drove a 84 VW Rabbit diesel. Now its on jackstands in my parent's garage waiting until the day I have a house of my own and engine swap it.

[@jaredg3328]

It’s less than 4 hours to pull it out the bottom. They are easy cars to pull the engine on.

[@ofoosy]

@@jaredg3328 Absolutely, a dream to pull out. Very few things to disconnect. I've pulled the engine out the top typically.

[@SarahJade-c4g]

lets go was watching 2 year old videos, refreshed and saw this

[@DemBlox]

yea these last few were on a pretty long stream waiting to catch the next one

[@Toasty_Gaming]

ive been dailying an 85' Z31 for 3+ years transmission rebuild $1.7k - 2 months out of use rear brake caliper blew $65 - 4 days out of use alt belt shredded $15 - 1 day out of use either than that, perfect daily with 18-20MPG. HOWEVER, RWD AND NO TRACTION CONTROL. driving in rain is DANGEROUS

[@racebndt]

The Mercedes e class (w124 to W212r) is a great car for daily driving. Parts are easy to get and low trims are very easy to work on.

[@actionfaction2558]

I agree. I daily a w210 E55. It’s a great daily, especially it you’re a more spirited driver as the car is Corvette fast.

[@Skxdzyy]

Happy Wednesday CCF. Keep up the banger content.

[@gondolagripes1674]

The ls400 is pretty good. I also used to daily a Toyota cressida.

[@BCFB007]

I daily drove a 1996 Impala SS unless it snowed up until it got totaled back in May. My winter vehicle was a 2008 Silverado 2500HD 6.0L Vortec.

[@ThaDirtyBubble]

I’d drive my SS in the winter if they didn’t salt the roads in my area

[@LOVE-VIBES-X-PROJECT-CARS]

Antique - Pre-war cars Classic - Post war to Muscle era Vintage - 70s cars Retro - 80s cars Neo Classic - 90s and some early 00s Modern - late 00s to late 10s Contemporary - Current (If i had to give this era a name, I'd call it the Digital Era) Bonus Retro Futurism - period in the 2000s where GM dived headfirst into it along with the s197 mustang and thunderbird.

[@bradleyhanlon]

Shout out for the Fairlane! I’m trying to get mine back to daily status. It’s been off the road since ‘99, should be back on the road this weekend

[@fantasyskeep]

Retro is a style, not an age. For example, the Hyundai N Vision 74 concept car is "retro" because it looks like a 70s-80s sports car, but it's not. The terms I think are best used from oldest to newest; Classic 1915 to 1979 Vintage 1950 to 1995 Antique 1915 to 2000 Modern 2001+

[@stickysweet1084]

This is a list a 10 year old me would make just because I thought they looked rad.

[@actionfaction2558]

I daily drive a 2000 210 E55. Great all around car, looks good, comfortable, approximately 400 hp, and corvette fast, with good sporty handling, rock solid reliability, no airbag suspension to worry about. Room for 4 tall adults, adequate trunk space. I’ve had lots of cars and I love this E55.

[@OwO---Drunk_Seulgi---OwO]

If you can't rebuild it top to bottom on RockAuto it ain't a daily

[@jacksong6226]

I daily an Ls430, got a friend who dailies an 87 E30

[@benmarley3086]

Prototype: pre 1907 (pre Model T) Antique: 1908-1928 (the first mainstream cars) Interwar Vintage: 1929-1941 (interwar period, Great Depression era) Vintage: 1942-1961 (ww2 and post ww2 era, cars got a lot more technology, became more reliable and design changed drastically) Classic: 1962-1973 (muscle era, pre oil crisis) Malaise: 1974-1987 (introduction of hot hatches, econoboxes, pre OBD 1) Retro: 1988-1995 (my favourite era, pre OBD 2, perfect balance between technology and analogue/mechanics) Modern Classic: 1996-2004 (OBD 2, alike to retro but some cars from this era have a little more tech than I’d like for a drivers car) Future Classic: 2005-2012 (a classic has to be at least 20 years old) Current: 2013-2019 (the average car in the United States is 12 years old) Spyware: 2020 or later (if you value privacy, do not buy a new car)

[@vukos]

based and correct

[@user-te8qh1gf3j]

that's based. but what will be current be in the next 10-20 years?

[@benmarley3086]

@@user-te8qh1gf3j I have no idea. The future of the auto world is too uncertain.

[@shrimp562]

I know someone that daily drives their 74 super. When it runs. Which is about 90% of the time

[@TonyBasuro]

The Miata was an Instant Classic because it was best of the class. It was Retro-styled when new, it eschewed contemporary styling for a more Vintage look. Not about an era. But I like when Vukos thinks in his native language while speaking in English.

[@Sube-Tube]

2:00 best on the list. Easy as hell to work on, look cool, drives fine. I have a 290k mile 1996 cherokee that's getting a stroker kit in the spring, I'll drive it til it's too far gone 2:08 my beater is an 04 rubicon with 250k miles. It's on its last winter, as the rust is too bad. So the rubi axles are getting put on the xj when the strokers going in

[@Sulfuron41]

I totally agree on the premise that there's a difference between "classic" and "daily driver classic." If you're driving something older as your daily, sure, you're going for something a little less mainstream, but budget is also a huge factor. A daily driver's gotta be cheap to buy, run, and maintain, bullet proof. Like, you could pick nearly any GM platform with the 3800 v6 and be in good shape for a daily classic. Nearly any. Not all. But daily driving an old Porsche? Yeah ok..... I had a 1963 Chevy Corvair as a daily for about a year. It was tons of fun to drive, but notice that only lasted a year... The one car that's actually been bullet proof has been my 1995 F150 XLT. It's got 320,000 on the clock, and I've never rebuilt the engine. It's not perfect at all. But boy, it just doesn't quit. Ever. That's a daily classic in my mind.

[@kelleycondon6504]

i always thought it was a acura legend they destroyed in street fighter

[@livingon2wheels]

Plan on $800 a month to keep an old BMW running daily.

[@aaroncarlson3686]

I am fixing my Daily driver at the moment, and have had to drive my project, a Foxbody from 1980, in some snow. It has been surprisingly nimble but LORD the brakes leave a lot to be desired (remember, early 80s, so the only ABS is pumping the pedal).

[@travisstamp7428]

I daily a 99 lexus gs400. It's got almost 300k miles. I've put 100k on it in 2 years, and it's done it flawlessly

[@sidlazzar1002]

I just bought a clean 1998 Subaru Impreza wagon that has awd. It’s not a race car but it’s so light and small I can toss it around like a go kart. It’s a fun lil car to drive ✨

[@GregoryBaker]

From oldest to newest: Antique Vintage Classic Retro

[@RogueCowTurd]

and before retro is "aged" and before that is "old"

[@jmorris023]

How did the 510 get by without the moaning guy noise?

[@n1ghtdragon]

my 2003 ranger will be a collector car in 2 years. its crazy. to me classic car is a model designed 1998 or earlier

[@vidsbychazzle2056]

00 Ranger 4x4 with 249k Still Bulletproof.Real talk my friend!

[@hooshorn]

my daily is a '95 nissan president here in the states. love that car!

[@DeftAnesthetik]

I daily'd an AW11 from 2003 through 2008. Canadian winters included. One of, if not the best cars ever.

[@expo4266]

As someone who dailys an XJ, yes the drivetrain is solid, but everything else is 90s chrysler. This car will fall apart around the engine, transmission, and transfer case. Words cannot describe how cheaply made everything else is.

[@praetorangel8967]

Always has been

[@mosmith3026]

It's 30 years for it to be classic by the DMV in NC

[@Foxcanfixit]

I agree with the Jeep Cherokee as a cheap daily. Most of the rest are some Intern or Co-ops busywork project that a managing editor just threw up as an article because they got hammered at the bar….again, and forgot to write anything….again

[@user-te8qh1gf3j]

yeah, the list was way out of touch.

[@heimvar]

Norra 500 just updated their classes into year break downs and I think you guys would approve of the year layout and names check em out

[@PhoneBoothBill]

Daily classic manual 1991 Honda accord sedan. I got automatic seatbelts. And when I turn on the radio the antenna goes up and down.

[@oldmanloki]

so, circa 2013, I’m driving this $500 manual 1985 E30-yeah, you heard me, $500-got over 245,000 miles on it. 245,000 miles! not exactly what you’d call “reliable transportation,” right? but I’m telling you, it was the most unbelievable thing. I ended my five years of ownership at just over 345,000 miles. That’s 345,000! I’m driving 75 miles a day through Orlando traffic-75 miles!-and I’m telling you, it was dirt cheap to maintain. I mean, the car barely even needed anything. Just basic stuff-oil change, maybe a new belt here and there. And I’m out there doing track days, autocrosses-beating the living daylights out of this thing-and you know what? Never once did it leave me stranded. Never once did I see a tow truck. Never. It was like it was built to just keep going, like some kind of miraculous little German tank. You look at it, and you think, “there’s no way this is going to last,” but it just did. That’s the thing, right? Sometimes, the car that shouldn’t work, works.

[@rafterwild4556]

Where does the “about to bust” audio clip come from?

[@vukos]

look up SEX by CHB2 on rapfame

[@landark1967]

When I saw going to car shows in the 1990s a classic car was anything 1972 or older and it seems to have stuck there ever since.

[@THEW0LFB0Y]

0:48 I recoiled

[@Huhwhatwhere4324]

Buick Roadmaster or Caprice the same as the Impala anyway.

[@mariuss.6607]

You could probably live full time in a roadmaster wagon.

[@Huhwhatwhere4324]

@@mariuss.6607 true

[@nickrustyson8124]

Also Cadillac Fleetwood

[@Dagrizzb]

Does anyone know what that sound bite at the end is? Sounds like "bout to ball"

[@vulekv93]

Vukos is 100% right. It's like eras in music, you don't shift classical era 100 years forward just becose 100 years have passed.

[@nicholasagnew2792]

I actually daily drove my 2-door 510 for years, I bought it in 2011

[@ricosuave3497]

1991 chevy/gmc C1500 single cab swb with working ac and heat would be my perfect daily. I daily a 2005 single cab silverado lol Im also 33 years old.

[@rcorrado287]

Has a g60 corrado as a daily back in 03 had nothing but electrical gremlins but awesome car

[@willythewyno]

There's a post in r/askmechanics about the best car to daily drive. Lots of good picks like old Merc taxi cars and 4cyl Toyotas, lots of deeply unserious answers like McLaren F1 and Chrysler Turbine

[@mromatic17]

8:53 is that matt ferra's million mile lexus?

[@JimmyWelds]

the LS400 was my dream car as a kid.. now I've been in them, driven them, looked at them.. and they suck so hard dude

[@eddiethetruhead]

I daily a 2000 LS400 year round, and my Buddy with a 1999 LS400 does too. 1UZ for life.☝🏼

[@FracturedGoblin]

To be fair the Century on the list is quite a reliable car! Yes, some parts will have to come from overseas but so far those cars have been proven great daily's.

[@setha7781]

My first car was a 76 2002, if I still had it i'd be dailying it. Even with the 4 speed it ate up the miles.

[@Detah_]

Can't go wrong with a Swedish brick. Volvos are slept on

[@sir_mcneal]

CCF posted, amazing day for uninsured people

[@slowaccord]

Not a classic byany stretch but i will always say older honda accord. Bulletproof and safe. Great first car 😊

[@Bl00dwerK]

I agree w/Vukos. Classics are old muscle cars and shit. 80's are too modern, and 90's sports cars are better than what we get new today. Might not be faster, but way better.

[@Badjujubee]

A classic car is something car companies try to crib from as a cosplay costume to make a current one look cooler. Vintage is just a sweet ride from a specific era. 240z definitely a classic (and even some of its gangly 60/80 siblings). 180 and 240sx are more Vintage.

[@anicrow]

I guessed lexus right for the last part, I was thinking an IS, GS or SC though

[@typicalbamboozler6030]

I said a tank right before you showed the ls400 so pretty good guess 😂

[@jasonwhigham335]

Antique: early 1900's Vintage: 60's-70's Retro:80's-90's (now early 00's too) This is just my thoughts

[@thasneemrizvi]

Impala SS aren't that bad these days actually especially in Canada, I found two for around 10k last week

[@Yeroc357]

prime automotive content

[@TheHadrian54]

25 to 40 years max is classic it's right around the 30 year nostalgia/trend cycle. There are obviously some outliers though because some cars were already dated at launch while others set new trends.

[@AK-lw2jw]

Daily drove my 76 deville for a year. All she needed was an alternator.

[@commanderstarstreak9390]

in the BMW OEM parts catalog it considers my 2002 E39 530i a classic i have no idea what they are smoking.

[@akmccas]

As someone that dailies an XJ, that’s a terrible pick for that list

[@aletron4750]

any honda

[@TheImperfectGuy]

unless you live in the rust belt

[@JensScearcy]

All my cars been classics 88 300zx 85 MR2 94 ls400 03 is300 2 Volvo 240s 03 Subaru Forester now I daily a 05 STI

[@fullyrooted__org]

1uzfe swap an Impala SS amazing daily…. Did it to my Monte Carlo

[@Amy-r2l]

Daily a 90 2dr 4wd XJ and love it, the mpg is garbage tho. 302k miles and still pretty and close to original

[@MasterSpaz]

If you want to daily a classic z, get a 1984-1988 300ZX. The engine is a tank that goes for 300,000mi no problem

[@therickychannel6545]

I daily a 97 jag xjr Its perfect

[@rrc3]

I just checked and I can get a 1984 Porsche 911 Targa for 60k. I honestly feel like that would be better than spending 60k on a modern sports car. I would probably want to put a better transmission in it, though.

[@nyonman8391]

Classic is your grandpa’s first car. Probably a good contender for daily as well.

[@justjackson8673]

I've daily driven a 1990 volvo 240 for about a year now

[@EricMasten-Archive]

Thanks for putting bread on da hood of Isoozu

[@wosik2001]

CRX is the best car on the list.

[@user-te8qh1gf3j]

BASE Model or SI yes. HF is terrible on modern major city highways, it's dangerously slow. (Atlanta highway experience) BUT regular streets and straight away highways, it's the Goat.

[@mikhilmuhuthan6903]

Me personally someone born in 04' Vintage: Before 1950 Classics: 1950-1970 Retro: 1970-1990 Modern: 1990-Present

[@jasonmiller3955]

Bmw e39 525 528 530 is the absolute best daily beater.

[@mosmith3026]

No closed caption?😢

[@OwO---Drunk_Seulgi---OwO]

equal rights equal sights

[@todbuckets6897]

80 station wagon would be a amazing daily

[@likenem]

I would get a 98 Mystic chrome cobra as a classic daily driver

[@initialTRD]

I’ve been dailying an ae86 for more than a decade lol

[@garrettgrace9733]

10 seconds is wild

[@colubrinedeucecreative]

This is a rant of all time. Nice one fellas. Not sure the list was made for us really right? It is more for like people that own brand new nice cars and are thinking about buying a clean example that has been kept away from our kind. lol They aren't going to be turning wrenches, they have a person that does their maintenance and sourcing parts. We live and breath this shit those people are randomly reading an article on their business flight. Shot in the dark but yeah, like really an S class? Says a lot. E class? As much as we might respect them I don't see anyone driving one of those here. Well I am sure some of our audience does. Or maybe shooting cars. That is more of the target there. I enjoyed when you all had him on but often he was disagreeing with you all on what was nice and desirable. Like the bug trucks. A person willing to buy a perfect 2000s beetle and pay a company 10000 to convert a 6000 beetle to a truck because it is a conversational piece. While we wouldn't even consider being seeing driving one. lol I am not talking about netgear though. That man wears jorts and cowboy boots in public.

[@titanderp]

I love my Cruze, it keeps leaking coolant🎉

[@supposedbigfoot1859]

I actually did daily a ae86 for about 10 years till a idiot tried to make a left turn infront of me and totaled it. Honestly it wasn't a bad daily.