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Classic Car Road Trip
travelingmarc
Member Posts: 8
Hi,
I'm a German planning to make a long-term trip through the USA in 2020. I would like to do that in a classic car since I want to do it in style. However, I would like to make sure to choose the right car for this adventure. For this reason, I would appreciate some expert advice in order to discuss what has to be considered.
To give you an idea: I want to spend 6-9 months crisscrossing the country, which means I'm looking for a reliable car not giving me too much trouble for maybe 25.000 miles. As to make and model - I'm very open there though I would prefer a classic with an 8 cylinder engine. I'm willing to spend up to 20.000$, however I would prefer a more economic solution.
By the end of the trip, I will have to sell the car again, so that is another aspect I would like to hear your thoughts about.
Kind regards
Marc
I'm a German planning to make a long-term trip through the USA in 2020. I would like to do that in a classic car since I want to do it in style. However, I would like to make sure to choose the right car for this adventure. For this reason, I would appreciate some expert advice in order to discuss what has to be considered.
To give you an idea: I want to spend 6-9 months crisscrossing the country, which means I'm looking for a reliable car not giving me too much trouble for maybe 25.000 miles. As to make and model - I'm very open there though I would prefer a classic with an 8 cylinder engine. I'm willing to spend up to 20.000$, however I would prefer a more economic solution.
By the end of the trip, I will have to sell the car again, so that is another aspect I would like to hear your thoughts about.
Kind regards
Marc
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Are you looking for a '60s vehicle? If so, that will be one miserable trip. '60s vehicles are cool to see at car shows, or tooling around on a Sunday afternoon, but they aren't so great for cross country trips.
Maybe, buy a 2010 Mustang GT, then sell it when you finish?
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A 1960s American car has some limitations unless it has been upgraded with radial tires, perhaps disc brakes and air-conditioning (a convertible won't need AC, of course).
A 4-door 60s or 70s American sedan can usually be purchased relatively cheaply, and they are reliable enough to go cross-country. But it would be nice to have good tires and good brakes on these monsters.
Most Americans do not regard 1980s cars as "classics", as some of them still look fairly modern.
I would stick to General Motors products in the 60s and 70s time-frame. A 6 cylinder car is not out of the question but it will struggle in the mountains.
I vote for something sporty and modern.. I'd worry more having an address to register it to, and a driver's license.
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A classic? He can buy my 2006 330Ci ZHP for $9K, and I'll buy it back from him for $5K when he is done with it. Modern amenities, if you don't count bluetooth or a USB port.
25K miles in a '60s or '70s vehicle? Most of those cars were traded before they hit 50K miles, when new. The chances of him making it on one vehicle are pretty slim.
2010 Mustangs are pretty retro, anyway... I think it's the perfect choice! Easy to sell to Carmax, when you are finished with it, too.
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If there actually are too many arguments speaking against cars of that age (mostly safety and reliability, I guess) a younger car might be worth thinking about.
@ kydfx: well, I do have an international driver's license, that should work... about the address for registration... yes, that's something I will have to think about.
If you can think of more recommendations, warnings, general advice - I'm grateful for all of it.
If you stayed with a General Motors car in either of those body styles, you couldn't be hurt too badly on resale value.
No Corvairs--they are too troublesome and nobody likes to repair them.
You could perhaps find a Corvette from the years which are not popular the late 70s to early 80s "C3" models with the smaller, and somewhat anemic, engines. You do NOT want a C4 Corvette from the 1980s unless it is 1986 or newer.
I know I'm sounding like a broken record..
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https://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/cars-for-sale/chevrolet/malibu/2084442.html?refer=blog
You can't go too wrong with a full-size 70s GM car. If I had to choose in the 1970s, I'd pick something up to 1971, skip 1972 through 1976, and then pick it up again in 1977. These latter cars were General Motors "B bodies", like Impala, Bonneville, Olds 98, Cadillac Deville and Buick LeSabre. They get much better gas mileage.
But if you want to sample 70s Detroit luxury and care nothing about mpg then you could make an offer on something like this Mark V. Nice cruiser but I'd expect a tough sell at the end of the trip.
1. Nobody in the southern states, or in the Southwest U.S., wants a black car.
2. Any car that has lived near the ocean, or in a very cold winter climate, needs to be checked for rust.
3. A person on the West coast will rarely buy a car with rust on it.
4. Convertibles are cheaper to buy in states with cold winters but easier to sell in states with warm winters.
5. Any car that will be sold in the Southern or Southwestern U.S. must have AC.
6. Many older Corvettes or Mustangs have been beaten to death. Don't choose price over condition.
7. I would buy the car in California and sell it in California. If you want to make the "Grand Tour", you can drive across Canada, then down to the U.S. and through New England, then back to California either on the "high road" through Chicago, or the low road through the American South. That's going to be about 12,000 Km.
8. Gasoline will seem very cheap to you, so engine size doesn't matter.
PS - California Highway One (Pacific Coast Hwy) between Santa Barbara, CA and San Francisco is breathtaking scenery and the Hearst Castle is worth a stop.
On my last trips, I made the experience that sometimes it is hard to avoid taking gravel roads. For example there were some stretches close to Mexican Hat / Monument valley. Do you think this might be a problem with a Mustang? Last time I travelled in a Toyota Highlander and of course that was no problem... but looking at the Mustang's body and tires, I'm a bit worried. I'm not talking about offroad tracks, but still. What do you think?
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I always advise people: "Don't buy a vehicle for a special purpose you will need only 5% of the time. Buy it for the purpose you will need 95% of the time".
As for title and registration, be certain the car doesn't have a "salvage" or "rebuilt" title of course. That will kill re-sale value. A dealer will provide title and registration for you but not on the same day--so he may have to send you the papers, as you will probably be "on the road" soon after purchase.
Buying in Florida sounds like a good plan.
Keep in mind that convertibles are easy to break into. When I had my convertible Saab, I had a steel lock-box bolted to the floor of the trunk. That would take some time getting into, and I never lost anything even when I had a window broken.
I can see the "my ride with travelingmarc" photos already.
@ Mr Shiftright: Isn't 6 years old (in 2020) and 80.000 a bit too high? I thought that still having guarantee would be worth paying substantially more... However, I very much like your idea with the trunk box. Can they be bought everywhere or is that something extraordinarily rare?