Coolest Older ICE Cars

[SgtHulka]

What are some good value older cars with internal combustion engines?

Since the ICE end is near, I feel like this is my last real hurrah to get a nice big ass luxury daily driver for short distances and enjoy them while they are still here. I know electric doesn't have to mean a slow car but they will NEVER have that sound or feeling.

I just found a 95 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham for a great price that came with an LT1 engine. It's an awesome car, like a room inside, with a nice corvette engine. Like my uncles used to drive. They knew. I think I should get one car like this while I can still enjoy it.

 

[48thStreetCustom]

The Porsche 924/928/944/968 are still a good value but won't be for long. People say they aren't real Porsches but they said the same thing about the 912 and 914, and the price of those have gone through the roof over the past few years.

And I wouldn't worry about ICE cars going away. If the oil companies ever really see electric cars as a threat, they'll just drop the price of gas down to $.50 a gallon and destroy the electric car industry.

 

[Mike N]

What are some good value older cars with internal combustion engines?

Since the ICE end is near, I feel like this is my last real hurrah to get a nice big ass luxury daily driver for short distances and enjoy them while they are still here. I know electric doesn't have to mean a slow car but they will NEVER have that sound or feeling.

I just found a 95 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham for a great price that came with an LT1 engine. It's an awesome car, like a room inside, with a nice corvette engine. Like my uncles used to drive. They knew. I think I should get one car like this while I can still enjoy it.

26 year old Caddy with a 350. Not quite the same SBC that the 'Vette has, but from the same engine family. Those cars handled horribly for what they were. Myself I'd prefer a 90 or 91 Fleetwood (before they went to the jellybean look) and those could also have been had with the 350 Chevy engine, or 5.7 liter for you metric guys.

In any event, if you're buying something that old I hope you're handy with a wrench.

 

[eastcoasteddie]

Latest word from Porsche - the 944 will NEVER be electric.

Don’t get one of the 80’s 4-6-8 Caddy’s. Outdated (and poor) version of Variable Valve Technology. They were horrible and not reliable.

I would go for a Caddy CTS-V

 

[PWRL]

How about big old mid-80's Caprice Classic 4 door? Blue with all the trim, spoked wheels, plush velour interior with a matching dashboard cover.

 

[MJ5150]

Early 90's Lincoln Town Car is it for me. I have never in my life drove or rode in something so smooth and comfortable.
Notice I said 'I'. No need to correct me and tell me about something better.

-Mike

 

[buldog5151bass]

They aren't going anywhere for a while.

 

[eastcoasteddie]

Latest word from Porsche - the 944 will NEVER be electric.

...

Duh...
It took me 3 hours to realize I wrote 944 when I meant 911.
I guess in my subconscious, I really like the lines of the 944, even though it’s only an 80s icon.

An electric Porsche 911 isn't coming before 2030, if ever, for one reason

 

[Alkali Ike]

And I wouldn't worry about ICE cars going away. If the oil companies ever really see electric cars as a threat, they'll just drop the price of gas down to $.50 a gallon and destroy the electric car industry.

All respect but that won’t ever happen.

 

[Alkali Ike]

If you can tolerate a compact car with lots of old school gasoline zoom zoom get a GTI.

 

[Funky Ghost]

If you can tolerate a compact car with lots of old school gasoline zoom zoom get a GTI.

I would even say an R32 is good value for what you get too.

Myself, the best of the Older cars than I owned/drove personally was a 1973 Camero. It started life with an anemic 305 that eventually seized. I replaced it with a '65 'vette engine and never looked back. Even in 305 form it was powerful enough to cruise the mountains and unlike a lot of older cars from that era, handled decently well ( much better after I upgraded the bushings and shocks ), was decently comfortable to drive ( 8 hours cruises were no problem ) and it was great to look at. On that front I did change out the '73 full pumper for the split bumper look of the 70' 1/2 It just looked great.

This looks remarkably close to mine except I had centerlines and it wasn't as high off the ground everywhere.

I imagine they are not cheap I didn't bother to look.

What I would personally get is a Datsun 240Z. I love them. A close second, knowing full well I would be inviting no end of upkeep, is a Triumph TR6.

@MJ5150 I drove my wife and mother-in-law from Sacramento to Capitola in my MIL's 1979 Lincoln Mark V. All the way up on I8o it was a kush ride. From 880 to 17 it was moderately amusing. After 17 into Capitola they needed a spatula to get me off that land yachts seat. The pucker factor was strong. Driving in Capitola in that was ... challenging hahah.

 

[Ostie]

Last year I bought a brand new RAM 1500 Bighorn Hemi to pull my new travel trailer. Mind you, I’ve always driven economical cars , like Chevette, Escort, Kia, HHR, Hyundai, etc. Well, nobody’s taking my gas guzzler away from me. I absolutely love it. It rides like a dream, hauls my trailer like a champ, has all the bells and whistles, and sounds like a muscle car. I’ll never go back to a compact car. At my age I’ve worked and saved for 50 years, and now I’m gonna enjoy my big ass truck. Oh, and it can haul a couple of SVT cabs, no problem.

 

[Mike N]

I would even say an R32 is good value for what you get too.

Myself, the best of the Older cars than I owned/drove personally was a 1973 Camero. It started life with an anemic 305 that eventually seized. I replaced it with a '65 'vette engine and never looked back. Even in 305 form it was powerful enough to cruise the mountains and unlike a lot of older cars from that era, handled decently well ( much better after I upgraded the bushings and shocks ), was decently comfortable to drive ( 8 hours cruises were no problem ) and it was great to look at. On that front I did change out the '73 full pumper for the split bumper look of the 70' 1/2 It just looked great.

Assuming the engine in your 73 Camaro was the original one when you got the car, it would have been a 307. The 305 didn't come out until 1975.

Thanks to the oil embargo, tougher emissions laws and a compression ratio lower than the stock market, that powerhouse of an engine churned out a neck snapping 115 horsepower.

 

[MJ5150]

Last year I bought a brand new RAM 1500 Bighorn Hemi to pull my new travel trailer. Mind you, I’ve always driven economical cars , like Chevette, Escort, Kia, HHR, Hyundai, etc. Well, nobody’s taking my gas guzzler away from me. I absolutely love it. It rides like a dream, hauls my trailer like a champ, has all the bells and whistles, and sounds like a muscle car. I’ll never go back to a compact car. At my age I’ve worked and saved for 50 years, and now I’m gonna enjoy my big ass truck. Oh, and it can haul a couple of SVT cabs, no problem.

Aww yeah!
If we want to broaden this to trucks, I'm going to drive my '02 1500 until they take my drivers license.
Super comfy ride and just enough butt dyno to think I'm fast.

-Mike

 

[Mike N]

How about big old mid-80's Caprice Classic 4 door? Blue with all the trim, spoked wheels, plush velour interior with a matching dashboard cover.

I owned a few of those as winter cars and they were great. All sorts of room and fairly respectable gas mileage to boot.

The last one I had was a dark gray 86 Caprice. It was ordered as a low budget package by the original owner, so it had steel wheels with small hubcaps and no body side moulding. Add the CB antenna I put on it (I did trips from Rochester NY to Albany NY on a regular basis and the CB was nice for those 4+ hour rides) and it looked like an unmarked State Trooper car.

 

[48thStreetCustom]

All respect but that won’t ever happen.

 

[Alkali Ike]

I regret to say Uncle Tony is just a random YouTube nobody to me. I won't even watch the video because the outcome is already known to any viewer entering that echo chamber.

Have you test-driven an EV?

BTW EVs are not for everyone, especially as their only vehicle. There are many charging infrastructure details still to be rolled out. Internal combustion will be around for a L-O-N-G time.

 

[48thStreetCustom]

I regret to say Uncle Tony is just a random YouTube nobody to me. I won't even watch the video because the outcome is already known to any viewer entering that echo chamber.

Have you test-driven an EV?

BTW EVs are not for everyone, especially as their only vehicle. There are many charging infrastructure details still to be rolled out. Internal combustion will be around for a L-O-N-G time.

He's a famous hot rod Journalist.
https://www.dragzine.com/author/tonydefeo/

 

[Funky Ghost]

Assuming the engine in your 73 Camaro was the original one when you got the car, it would have been a 307. The 305 didn't come out until 1975.

Thanks to the oil embargo, tougher emissions laws and a compression ratio lower than the stock market, that powerhouse of an engine churned out a neck snapping 115 horsepower.

Crap, you're right it was the 307 .. the de-stroked 327 if I remember correctly?

Of course you would catch that

 

[roller]

Oil companies, shmoil companies -- when all the big car companies publicly announce when they want to go carbon neutral and sell only electric cars (yes, these dates are now real and on the calendar), Shell and Exxon better hope their geeks in the alternative energy nerd herd have plan B figured out.

Combine that with politicians across the planet passing more laws saying you can't drive on certain roads with an ICE... along with the growing vibe among the youth of today (who will be the adults of tomorrow) that the only cool cars are electric cars... yeah, oil will be seen more and more as being uncool.

The electric revolution isn't going to happen suddenly, but it's already here.