The 35 year Gap

[squirrel]

I was thinking about the cars we own now....I've been buying and selling a few each year lately, it seems (generally at a decent loss, of course). Right now, the household fleet consists of:

1955 Chevy bread truck (not running)
1958 GMC Bus (not running)
1959 Chevy pickup that I've had forever
1962 Chevy II
1965 Barracuda
1967 Volvo wagon (which will probably go to one of my kids)
1970 Dart (that my wife has had forever)
2006 Miata (that she autocrosses)
2006 Tahoe
2012 Silverado

There seems to be a 35 year gap in there...we don't have any 70s, 80s, or 90s cars.

The old cars are fun, they mostly are modified with bigger engines, etc. The new cars are very practical, they just work, and are comfortable to drive.

I wonder how long it will stay like this? Will I ever find a reason to get malaise type car?

[Gateclyve Photographic]

You had a Thunderbird that got (sadly) a BBC . . . Technically not a "Malaise" nee "Disco-era" car, but that sort of counts

What happened to the old '55 Bel Air that once upon a time had the 6-71 blower?

[squirrel]

The Turdbird went away this summer, a guy in Tucson gave me $50 for the shell (I took out all the goodies I had installed, a few days after the race that I built it for). I sold the 55 a couple years ago to a guy in Tucson, who is now trying to sell it for a hefty profit.

[Loren]

There's really only one era to intentionally actively avoid, particularly here where you have to smog-certify cars and they thus have to keep to original, and that's '75 when inspection starts to early eighties when they were all p.o.s. dogs when stock. Our cars stop getting newer at '72, then pick up again in '91. If you didn't have to smog a malaise car you could just put whatever motor in it and it'd all be the same.

We'd actually still have an '86 Celeb wagon which by then they had the efi working pretty good, if it didn't wear out...and a '96 Sebring (It was a good car! No, Really! Seriously) if it didn't wear out, and do have the Chero which at 360K miles seems like it's never going to wear out (although engine is replaced).

Frankly in a world where I would have just walked in fresh I'd have cars up to '70 'cause that's where my main interest is, and brand-new to drive so there would be quite a gap. Does that mean I stopped advancing at ten years old and from then 'til now nothing interesting happened?

[SuperBuickGuy]

hmmmm... 50 Buick, 64 Buick, 71 FJ40, 76 Corvette, 79 Spider, 94 Suburban, 2014 JoKe, 2018 Colorado.... seems I'm missing the 80s. Of course, many people are missing the 80s so I don't think it's really that big of a deal.... I have more 70s then they'll ever have

[squirrel]

Where you live might have something to do with it also....plastic does not fare well in Arizona.

I think another reason for the big gap is that cars got real complicated starting in the 1980s. The computer thing...it has a lot of sensors and actuators, and wiring. And all of that stuff isn't really necessary for a car to have, but once cars have it, it becomes necessary to have, for the car to keep working as designed. By the time this stuff gets to be 15-20 years old, it tends to fail, and replacements can get hard to find.

Wife bought a new 99 Silverado, by the time the kids got done with it last year, it was pretty unreliable, and some systems had stopped working, and would cost a lot to get going again. I sold it cheap. I expect the 2006 models might get there in a while, but then again, they might last quite a bit longer, since they're being cared for reasonably well, and stored inside most of the time.

[Monster]

I've managed to whittle my fleet down to just two; a '65 Sting Ray and 2001 Tacoma ... and there's your 35-year gap .. interesting.

[Eric]

I do the mid 70 ,80's car s as they are still affordable.
I am thinking of looking at a turbo 4 mustang and a '19 hard top convertible Miata . mk5 rf. with a stick.
Both are around 35k sticker wise. before the back and forth.
Don't real want a newish vehicle, but reality is, you need to be able to get to work without issues, and waiting on parts because you can't get them local anymore is becoming a major issue.

[SuperBuickGuy]

Wife bought a new 99 Silverado, by the time the kids got done with it last year, it was pretty unreliable, and some systems had stopped working, and would cost a lot to get going again. I sold it cheap. I expect the 2006 models might get there in a while, but then again, they might last quite a bit longer, since they're being cared for reasonably well, and stored inside most of the time.

I scrapped the 2004 Denali because its electronics were terrible.... the 6.0 on the other hand, is worth more then I paid for it.

[SuperBuickGuy]

I've managed to whittle my fleet down to just two; a '65 Sting Ray and 2001 Tacoma ... and there's your 35-year gap .. interesting.

I'd have whittled the Tacoma out - I owned a 99 and it was the worst truck I've ever owned.... and yes, I'm saying the red 6 cyl 84 and Orangutruck were both better....

[squirrel]

I do the mid 70 ,80's car s as they are still affordable.
I am thinking of looking at a turbo 4 mustang and a '19 hard top convertible Miata . mk5 rf. with a stick.
Both are around 35k sticker wise. before the back and forth.
Don't real want a newish vehicle, but reality is, you need to be able to get to work without issues, and waiting on parts because you can't get them local anymore is becoming a major issue.

We got the 2006 models as used cars, with lots of useful miles left, but highly depreciated. The Miata had 70k miles on it and cost 8k when we got it a few years ago. Have had to do nothing to it to keep it running. The Tahoe I just got, 155k miles, $6k.

New ones are really expensive, as you've discovered! but if you are in a situation where you have to make payments, instead of plunking down cash, there is more allure to the new ones...

[Gateclyve Photographic]

In percentages (including parts cars and "investment" junkers, and excluding ones we're storing for other folks) we've got:

13.04%	'50s
26.09%	'60s
0.00%	'70s**
34.78%	'80s
8.70%	'90s
8.70%	'00s
8.70%	'10s

**The 1970 F-100 is grouped with the '60s . . . because there was no "Year Zero" and every decade must have ten years. Thus 1970 is the tenth year of the seventh decade of the 20th Century . . .

Cars from the '80s and '90s are still cheap and are not all the DREADED, USELESS FWD,

[Deaf Bob]

57 chev, 83 GMC crew dualie, 94 Buick, and 77 chev flatbed are licensed and insured
77 chev 4X4 I drove before the flatbed became my daily is on the farm with a 250 gallon water tank and pump for fire
Buddy once said I drive the crap out of my stuff then park it in the back yard.
Can't count the ones on the farm.. Which includes 3- 60's pickups, 52 chev dump flatbed and 40 chev. Yeah. Barely scratched.

[Monster]

I'd have whittled the Tacoma out - I owned a 99 and it was the worst truck I've ever owned....

Ironic, because my Taco is the most reliable vehicle I've ever owned ... since 2005, with 77,000 miles put on it and basically, I just keep it fed with 87-octane and it goes. The dependability of the 2.7L inline four 3RZ-FE is amazing. I only change the oil every 15,000 miles and transmission fluid every 50,000. Oh, and I bang debris from the K&N air filter whenever I'm under the hood and think about it.

[Eric]

We got the 2006 models as used cars, with lots of useful miles left, but highly depreciated. The Miata had 70k miles on it and cost 8k when we got it a few years ago. Have had to do nothing to it to keep it running. The Tahoe I just got, 155k miles, $6k.

New ones are really expensive, as you've discovered! but if you are in a situation where you have to make payments, instead of plunking down cash, there is more allure to the new ones...

I have a good amount to put down toward whatever.
Problem with used is this, they are either 2-3 year old off lease that were driven and treated like a rental and are low mile beat to hell.
Or have 100k + on them and still 12-18k .
I don't want to buy anything new, but having to wait on parts, and scramble to find ways to get to work for a few days, is getting tiresome.
Way to many cars floating around here that are flood cars/trucks that should nave been totaled out. or show a history of it. but don't.
Looked at a '16 car and pulled the kick panel and yup, you can see the waterline.
it was listed at 14k and 123k miles. used vehicle prices are as nuts as new.

2006 models are rot boxes now. and don't pass inspection.
There are tons of 2000-1013 vehicles for 4-6k, but only thing I'd gain is that parts stores might stock parts for it, when it breaks down, it not be any more reliable than the mid 70's ride I drive daily now.