Looking for ideas - inexpensive vintage convertible

[330ci]

Originally Posted by jpeezy14@hotmail.com

You didn't pull the trigger at that price?!

Just looked up comparables. My wife is impressed with this one! Too bad it's only a two-seater, but that's not necessarily a deal breaker.

They’re beautiful, and it was a decent deal but I would daily it for ~6 months a year which I don’t think is a great idea. I feel like there’s a reason you don’t see any high miled examples.

I’m on the hunt for another corvette or mustang, not the most beautiful things. But hard to beat from a reliability standpoint

[JParm]

Originally Posted by 330ci

They’re beautiful, and it was a decent deal but I would daily it for ~6 months a year which I don’t think is a great idea. I feel like there’s a reason you don’t see any high miled examples.

I’m on the hunt for another corvette or mustang, not the most beautiful things. But hard to beat from a reliability standpoint

Fair points - this would only be a weekend driver at most for us.

[breitlings]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AHJaYGes5w

[Spartacus]

Rennlist + 911/964 or 944/968

More budget? 993....

[dba]

Originally Posted by themast

Nobody!?

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Oh yeah!!

[emersm]

BMW Z3 (stick) is a fun little roadster to drive. And, cheap!

Good luck!

[1st amg]

Find yourself a used Mercedes E350 or E500 convertible. Maybe like a 2003 or newer.
I also see some decent deals on Audi A5 convertible as well. About 10 years old


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[Watchflair]

Originally Posted by 1st amg

Find yourself a used Mercedes E350 or E500 convertible. Maybe like a 2003 or newer.
I also see some decent deals on Audi A5 convertible as well. About 10 years old


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I'd second this - all three are fairly reliable and reasonable to maintain

[MrGoat]

Just watched this leave the block for $21,000. You don’t have to worry about pulling up to another at a stop light.


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[placek]

Do not buy an old jag. Do not buy an old maserati. Do not buy an old jeep. You want to enjoy the vehicle, not pay for it to be towed to the shop or beat you up like a bucking bronco. Look into whatever year Porsche Boxster or BMW 3 Series convertible that suits your budget.

[Rock]

I'm getting the feeling that you see this vehicle as a 'family' conveyance for weekend outings? This is the key question as it rules out most sports cars.

Another key question is whether you are able to do a lot of maintenance yourself as old, cheap 'exotic' vehicles like Maseratis, Jags and Mercs and even BMWs can be expensive to maintain. A lot of stuff is worn out and parts and maintenance is expensive.

If you just want a 'cruiser' for two adults and two kids then an older American V8 convertible is the GO.

[bremersm]

You could get an amazing Miata for that price range. If you are wanting to go vintage the NA can not be beat. I would suggest a later model NA with the 1.8 but the 1.6 is a blast as well. I have owned a 91 Miata for nearly 5 years and I still giggle every time I drive it. With sticky tires, new shocks, and a upgraded rear sway bar it is a hoot to drive.

I am planning to take it off the road once the wife's car is paid off to do a full restoration.

[Blansky]

Originally Posted by placek

Do not buy an old jag. Do not buy an old maserati. Do not buy an old jeep. You want to enjoy the vehicle, not pay for it to be towed to the shop or beat you up like a bucking bronco. Look into whatever year Porsche Boxster or BMW 3 Series convertible that suits your budget.

Not that Jeep was in the original criteria but I'm interested in why you think Jeeps would be expensive and in the shop.

I've owned 2 (87 and 2005) and after initial lifting and wheels and tires I barely spent a dime outside of normal maintenance in 100,000 miles of driving.

The OPs initial criteria is tricky because he's a family guy with 2 kids so a traditional sports car (generally a 2 seater) is either out of the question or he's looking for a kidless fun vehicle. I guess he could always look at cheap things like Chrysler Sebring convertibles or Mustangs before heading into the older foreign cars, which I would think may be expensive and maintenance intensive.

[Etschell]

Originally Posted by themast

Nobody!?

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Maintenance nightmare.

[Etschell]

Originally Posted by jpeezy14@hotmail.com

Just beginning my search for a fun vintage-ish weekend car, preferably in the $10-20k range.

Have always been a fan of the Jaguar E-type, but that's way (WAY) out of the price range. I'm been looking at things like an Alfa Romeo Spider or maybe even an MG, but that's just a starting point.

Interested to see what you all have / had / any ideas on other models I should be thinking about. Also, what should I watch out for if I were to go down the Alfa Romeo route.

As a reference, below the Solstice that we used to own and took along the PCH a few years back. It was my wife's car and I loved the look, but hated the sluggishness of it. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on what to get next, and pics are always appreciated!

Here you go op. 2005 porsche boxster. Can be had with 50k miles for under 20k.

[Cousteau390]

The problem with vintage for a non-car guy is this… The car is going to require special care not only in driving but in maintenance. If you’re willing to tackle vintage car problems then great it’s going to be an amazing hobby for you… But if you’re Just looking for something fun that looks cool that you can pull out of the garage and drive without a hassle… Then maybe a Mazda Miata, Honda s2000, Or a BMW Z3 from the 2000s is what you’re really after.

I for one am a vintage British car owner… it has been an awesome journey… But I wouldn’t dare buy this car without the willingness to get underneath it often. Otherwise you just waste money and it spends its entire life In the shop.

My 2cents. Happy hunting! Which btw can be just as tricky as procuring the right Rolex :)
Good Luck!

[BNA/LION]

I'd say get a jeep. Fun for the family. A sports car for fun might be best for later in life when the two of you are road trippin' and you don't need a back seat.

Looking forward to seeing what you end up going with.

[winst]

Originally Posted by Bluside

Not vintage, but a late model Mazda MX-5 sure is fun. Plus, they are dead reliable and low cost maintenance wise. Here is my 2016...

You couldn’t go far wrong it’s an MX5.

[RJG]

1976 MG Midget Only a two seater...so that might be a deal breaker. They can still be found in the $ 8 k range.

[Blansky]

Originally Posted by BNA/LION

I'd say get a jeep.

https://trickjeeps.tumblr.com/

[CamSLC]

Jeep seems like it would be the most reasonable for a weekend fun car in Florida for a family of four.

I've never personally owned one, but I know a lot of jeepers and have never once heard them complain of maintenance. Only off road trail damage they inflict themselves

[Jackie Daytona]

Originally Posted by Watchflair

Gorgeous car but from a reliability and repair cost stand point it's terrible

Strongly disagree. I grew up around early to mid 90s Jags, worked on them plenty, and am still a Jaguar guy really overall. From about 1990-1997 ish were probably the best years on reliability standpoint, and maintenance is very easy. Parts are not very pricey for these anymore either. They are great options. The AJ6 engine is pretty bulletproof as Jaguars go. Plus these years had just enough oversight from Ford that they tend to have little to no electrical gremlins like Jaguars of past. I really feel this marques reputation for being nice looking unreliable turd boxes that they earned in the 70s and 80s should have stayed there.

[gnuyork]

I mentioned it earlier, but I will echo the Miata again. Cheap to buy and maintain and will be a lot of fun with little to no hassle.

I'd love a vintage Austin Healey Sprite, Lotus Elan, or Alfa Romeo Spider... I'm just not there yet to put the effort into maintaining them. I agree with somebody else above that you really need to have a passion to work on these older cars or have them in the shop. I met a British vintage car mechanic and he had a back log of years for working on people's cars.

Mine is the newer one, but the red one is an older NA (classic look). I'd love to eventually get an older NA, but I love the newer ones too. It's my daily. I have supercharged Lotus for a weekend toy.

I will admit, the idea of a Miata never appealed to me...until I finally drove one. I bought it within a week of test driving.

[Jackie Daytona]

If you are looking vintage however I would go with any of these 3. Very unlikely to loose money on them as well. I would say most of them are appreciating.

Triumph TR6


MGA


Or an Alpha Romeo Spider



I already sort of vouched for it too but the XJS is great as long as it’s a later model 6 cylinder.

All are within the price range, vintage and appreciating. I would say the MGA probably is appreciating more than the others.

Or if you really want to go really cheap for the initial price, but vintage and fun a Fiat Spider. Which really isn’t as easily maintained as the others with less popularity. But at the price they list for and the style. I would consider it.



Or as a couple others have mention an XK8. It’s very nice as well especially at the price. Just stay away from the XKR option. It looks great in paper but having owned the sedan equivalent all the plastics sensors and gadgetry squeezed under the hood for the supercharged twin intercooled options it has, the headache when something does go wrong compared to its naturally aspirated counterpart is totally worth the 100 less hp.

Also you mentioned you liked the Maserati Grand Sport. As a current owner of a Quattroporte I would say they are worth it. The depreciation hit has already occurred, they still look very modern and nice, and if you find someone good to maintain it outside the dealer it really isn’t any more expensive than say a BMW (I also own one).

[twitch54]

While my '67 Sting Ray is way above your target $$ a nice C3 small block ('73-'74) can be had in your price range

[Nikrnic]

Originally Posted by twitch54

While my '67 Sting Ray is way above your target $$ a nice C3 small block ('73-'74) can be had in your price range

I've had seven of these mid years. The best cross country road trips ever were in my 435 cpe. The headrest seats were a blessing for the long run.

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[twitch54]

Originally Posted by Nikrnic

I've had seven of these mid years. The best cross country road trips ever were in my 435 cpe.

ahhhh yes, back when there was plenty of high octane leaded gas

[crew]

Originally Posted by twitch54

While my '67 Sting Ray is way above your target $$ a nice C3 small block ('73-'74) can be had in your price range

Gorgeous, gorgeous car. It’s a piece of art with wheels.
Love the red with the black stinger too.
These cars are 55 years old and still look contemporary. Says a lot about the design team. Thanks for sharing.

[twitch54]

Originally Posted by crew

Gorgeous, gorgeous car. It’s a piece of art with wheels.
Love the red with the black stinger too.
These cars are 55 years old and still look contemporary. Says a lot about the design team. Thanks for sharing.

Thank you John, former 'Roschestarian' here myself (Fairport) as well as a Pepsi owner, or as I like to call it, the 'Chuck Yeager' watch !

[crew]

Originally Posted by twitch54

Thank you John, former 'Roschestarian' here myself (Fairport) as well as a Pepsi owner, or as I like to call it, the 'Chuck Yeager' watch !

No kidding, Fairport?
I recently moved from Fairport to Victor. I used to live across from Eagle Vale.
Small world!