24th Aug 2013, 11:35
I am at August Carlisle today with over 5000 Corvettes; most drove in from all over the USA, and I stayed overnight at a hotel with ones from Ontario.
Great reliable classics can be driven great distances. Many have Tremec transmissions that increase economy.
The 2014 Vettes have 7 speed manual trans, so the cars barely idle at the national speed limits today.
There are great new and old cars that should be driven and are. I hate driving plain Jane beaters, except to shop at malls where I could care less if my doors get dinged.
26th Aug 2013, 12:01
Wrong decade man. The late-1970s Lincolns are totally classics, they are the last of the unabashed Continentals. The 1980s Lincolns and newer aren't really classics, as there are still so many of them on the road. One day though...
29th Aug 2013, 07:50
The new Tacoma gets up to 25 MPG, if you buy and want to drive a 4 cylinder and shift gears. It's certainly not very aerodynamic. If you buy the 6, the MPG is less. I rent a lot of luxury car sedan specials, and can easily attain that on the highway today. I also like weekend specials.
My thoughts on a long trip; if a problem were to occur, you don't have to wait around to have a car fixed 1000 miles away. You get another right away. And it's not expensive to do weekend specials and try some new ones out. I took a new low mileage Enterprise rental Impala on a trip from the east coast to Ohio, and we were not tired and it was very comfortable. MPG was great, all highway.
2013 larger cars get very respectable MPG, that was unheard of 20 years ago. I drive a lot, and feel better and perform better at work, and am relaxed when I get home and not worn out. There is value to one's quality of life vs sacrificing and saving a few bucks at a gas pump. My uncle dropped dead at 56, scrimping on absolutely everything to save an extra buck for retirement. He had already paid his home and everything off. He did long daily work commutes in little cars, most without A/C, and spent little on anything. When he got home, he was tired and slept. I wish he'd had some fun, and so do my cousins today. That reality sank in on what we work hard for. I feel it makes me appreciate enjoying some of the money that I have earned, because you can't count all of it in a cemetery. If I have to spend 100 a month more on fuel, to me it's worth far more than that for the quality of life attained. There are many very comfortable, nicely optioned, larger cars that do get great MPG today. When you get out, you feel good and also enjoy the fruits of your labor.
24th Aug 2013, 10:33
My '77 Grand Prix got plenty of thumbs up and comments due to its distinctive and beautiful styling. A true Pontiac classic indeed.
As far as safety and fuel mileage, these are not the reason most people drive classics. I drove my GP on a 6 hour round trip once, just because I could.