Dealer's Journal Industry When the Budget Meets Passion

When the Budget Meets Passion

05.05.16 - Datsun 510

We can all dream of winning the lottery or creating that one major breakthrough that happens to make a difference in many lives and allows us to have more money than we ever thought we would, but the reality is this doesn’t happen often at all. Most of us who want to collect and display a classic car collection will have to settle for one or two easy to own cars that can be bought on just about any budget. If it seems like you can’t find that one collector car that will have the world looking at you as you drive down the road, try these.

Chevrolet El Camino – This car is always one that garners attention, especially when it has been fully restored to a classic and beautiful appearance. The El Camino offers a two-door muscle car look up front that has a truck bed trunk in the back to give you the ability to bring some great items home. As one of the few blended cars that were built in automotive history the El Camino will always be one that others look at with either snickers and sneers or shear admiration, but you will certainly have a car that is collectible at an affordable price.

Datsun 510 – The 510 came from the Japanese automaker Datsun but it has a European style that you can easily love. This car looks like an older BMW, but it’s really a lot more fun than serious and gives you a car that will have people turning heads along your path. One of the most significant features of the 510 is the pair of side view mirrors that have been mounted forward on the front fenders to give you a unique look and a placement that appears to be more of an experiment.

Fiat 124 Spider – This car is still built in a new form, but you can also find several of them that are classically old to let you have a car that looks great and is a lot of fun to drive when it’s done. The ragtop folds down and the car have a gorgeous sporty look that is easy to love and admire. This is a car that has a special place in history even though Fiat still makes the 124 Spider; the classic version just looks so cool and even shows it could have been a style winner over the Porsche of the time.

Ford F-100 – A truck from a classic era where you saw the grumpy looking face turned down front end with a massive space for the engine and a small cab that is followed by the step side bed is one that we all admire and enjoy when we see them on the road. The beauty of choosing one of these for your classic vehicle is the fact they are easy to find and in plentiful supply for you to make sure you can have a great looking truck that is also easy to work on and make into the vehicle you want to drive.

Jeep Jeepster – While it’s cool to have a classic CJ to recreate t perfection and offer the look you want, if you are going classic and on a budget why not go with something a little different that will catch the eye of more people you pass. The Jeepster is a two-tone SUV that comes from a time when Jeep was learning what they could offer for the public and you can still find these classics for a great price to give you a vehicle you want to enjoy driving and showing off.

Mercedes- Benz W115 – Older model Mercedes-Benz vehicles have a sophistication and mystique about them that we can all admire. These cars are easy to find and can be restored to their classic original beauty with only a small investment. Of course if you want to have something that is a little rarer than the W124 that seems to be fairly common you can go back farther to the W115 and have a car that offers will not have and offer all the chrome trim and gorgeous style that Mercedes-Benz was built on.

MGB GT – This car is a great option when you want the BMW Clown Shoe but it’s hard to find and too costly. The MGB GT is a small two door coupe with a long hood, at least in proportion to the size of the passenger area of the car that also has a fast back appearance. This is a car that is a lot of fun to look at and drive and will be the one you enjoy putting back together to have a car that has been brought back to its former glory and can be the start of a gorgeous collection for you.

Plymouth Valiant – This car started out as an ugly duckling but if you look for one that was built in the 1960s you will have a car that is going to turn heads as a beauty. This car is one that will be fun to restore and drive and it comes in a wide variety of body styles including a convertible to be a car you can have be the one that starts your collection in the right style. You can’t go wrong with the Valiant, even the ugly duckling versions can be turned into classic beauties.

Pontiac Firebird – Just because we are several years removed from the Smokey and the Bandit movies doesn’t mean this car has lost any of its attraction and luster. There are still parts that can be found for this car to make it an easy and inexpensive car to restore. Certainly this was a car that wore the badge well but was built at a time when low power and low speeds were the norm, making it a car you not only can restore to its original classic look but you could also upgrade it to be a power hungry monster on the blacktop.

Volvo 122 – Before Volvo turned to the square and boxy style that made us only think of them as safety cars the products from this brand had some serious style. This car was one that is a classic beauty that gave you a style you can easily admire. There is a ton of chrome on this car and its actually the first car offered by Volvo to have a safety feature in it, which wat the three-point seatbelt that came as a standard offering back in 1959 when most manufacturers were just learning of the importance of putting safety into these steel beasts.

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