Spy

I started driving my first car at 13 years old, illegally on country roads. I got my drivers permit at 15 and had my first true legal car. So just a bit of recalculation would be in order. I used all but the very first as a daily driver. My girlfriend has only been in my life for the past 4 or 5 cars, and only riding in the past 2 of them. She would not have approved of any, save for my current 2012 Sonata. The 20 cars have all been sold in turn, and the only cars in my portfolio that I'd say were quality daily drivers would be Volvo's when they were built in Sweden. 3 of my cars were Swedish built Volvo's, and those were the only cars I took time to learn about and work on beyond oil changes. Apart from that, the amount of cars I've owned (in my case) can represent a lack of experience, I've never kept anything other than Volvo's long enough to learn much. If something breaks, I sell the car and get another one. 15 out of those 20 cars costed $2,000 or less. The advice I was looking for weighs more heavily on my living situation. I do know from experience that just because you get a "reliable" make/model of 90's car, that doesn't mean it won't be a money pit. I'm sure this goes for something from the 50's just as well. So I wanted to know how reliable and easy to maintain a 54 Plymouth would be. I would have a passion for the Plymouth as I had for old Volvo's, and would love working on it. However, I don't have much time or money to work on it right now. This thread has helped put everything in perspective. If I can get some money to work on the Plymouth by buying it for $2500, and time to work on it by keeping my Sonata for a few months too, then I'll buy it. Otherwise, all the helpful members of this forum have helped me realize that it's best to wait for a while, saving up money, and look for another classic when I'm better prepared.

Basically my final decision is, if he will take $2,500 for it, I'll go for it. Then I'll at least have some money to get it safe for the road. Otherwise I'll get something cheaper and reliable from the 90's, save up cash until I move back to Texas next year, and buy a classic then. The guy with the Plymouth hasn't responded to call or email in the past couple days, it's possible he already sold it.

Well, after all the sound advice I got from this thread, and my thread on AACA, I've pretty much accepted that I shouldn't buy this car in my financial and living situation. I have a despised list of 10 Honda's and Toyota's from the 90's on craigslist that I'm going to start calling about tomorrow. So I don't actually have it, to look into any of that. Probably won't ever have it. No smoke, no knocking, car sounded and felt very healthy mechanically.

It's not that I think it's bad, my friends 67 Impala turns over 10+ times before starting up, and it is a very reliable daily driver for him. I just read in an earlier post, that with these engines you can't really tell when it needs a rebuild. One hint is if it takes longer to start. Would 5 turns be considered cause for concern?

Well it does seem to be running well under it's own power right now. Concerns are just the electrical wiring, overheating, and the brakes (It does stop, just not quickly, need to pump the brake pedal). Honestly I'm not even too worried about the electrical as an immediate catastrophe, I can live without dash lights and a radio for a while. I am also worried about the engine needing to be rebuilt. It turned over 4-5 times before firing up, but otherwise it had lots of power. You tell me?

Haha, that would be perfect. Unfortunately she's broke. She swears she'll buy it from me later if I get it now. But that doesn't do me much good at the moment. x.x

She's a great girl, was just raised to be a bit spoiled due to absent parents with plenty of money, and I'm too concerned with giving her everything she wants. It's not entirely her fault when it comes to the classic though. I'm personally in love with this 54 Plymouth, and we share an interest in "antique" things (music, cars, appliances, lifestyle). She is blind to the financial aspects of life though. I really want this car but I would have no financial buffer. If I were back home in Texas, I'd have a place to park/work on the car, friends who are classic car mechanics, and a lower cost of living but.. that's not the place I'm in right now. I've all but decided to get a 90's Honda at this point.

I am 24 years old, and have owned about 20 cars. The oldest (and best) was a 1984 Volvo 244.

Well, my gut feeling tells me that if I'm going for a classic, this is the car to jump on. However, Rusty and my Dad both think I should go for another boring 90's car. I know a 90's cash car might keep more money in my bank and keep me on the road immediately, but I feel that in the long run a classic will be cheaper to maintain myself, and will be worth more if I sell. So it's between the Plymouth, or the same old 90's clunkers that I learned to drive on, and loathe. It's an easy decision, except for the risk of stretching my finances too thin.

$3,000 is the price. I am getting a lot of feedback against this car from a member of the AACA forum, on the thread I posted here earlier. The fact of the matter is, I don't have time right now to get acquainted with this car. I am mechanically "motivated" and love to tinker, but I really don't have much time around work. Also, the $3,000 will drain my bank account. I really want to get this car and feel like I will thank myself later for it, but I'm second guessing myself a lot. It would have to be my only car, if not immediately then in the near future.

Thanks for the encouraging feedback, I've been second guessing myself a lot this morning. To be clear, I intend on making this car my daily driver that I depend on, while restoring it. Also, despite being sold to me very cheap, the purchase will consume almost all of my immediate funding for any repairs (so I will keep my current car for daily use until I save up a bit). My father has made it clear that he thinks buying a classic is a dumb idea, but I feel it can't be any more dumb than getting something from the 90's that will depreciate, be more expensive to insure, and be too complicated to do my own repairs on. The owner said "those bulbs are already designed to handle 12v, so they work. The dash lights just went POP!" so I don't get the impression he actually changed the headlight or tail light bulbs, if that's possible? But they are working at the moment. It does have the standard 3 speed on the steering column. Thanks again!

Hello all, I'm seriously considering purchasing this car. The owner has accepted a very low cash offer from me, along with my promise to not purposefully ruin the car's originality. The car in question is a 1954 Plymouth Belvedere. It is currently all original, it runs and drives strong and I was taken for a ride in it. There is very little rust on the exterior, and the interior is in good condition. Problems: It needs work on the brakes as it is slow to stop. The owner said I should have the electrical wiring cleaned up. The fuel gauge doesn't work. Finally, I'm told that the car recently started overheating when driven long distances (15+ miles), we drove the car together for over ten minutes and it was not an issue. What is your advice on this car? Thoughts? It would be my first classic. Is it easy to find parts and/or restore? Easy to maintain? I am looking for this to be a daily use car while I restore it. Based on your feedback, I plan on buying this car tomorrow. I've also asked for advice on the AACA forum, there's some more details in the thread over there, if you're interested. http://forums.aaca.org/f169/first-classic-advice-54-plymouth-belvedere-372169.html Thanks! P.S. If there's anybody in the Los Angeles area with a trained eye, who could come take a look at the car with me, it would be a huge help.