Over a year ago, my friend James Mackintosh, wrote a piece called “Life With An Old Car Part 1.” I loved it and followed suit with “This Old Car (This Is The Life),” albeit nearly a year after the fact. Relatively recently, I wrote James asking when he might follow up. He didn’t disappoint. Part 2: The Cheepnessss delivered more of the same old car goodness people like us live for. This post is my take on the topics James addressed in part 2.

A Cool Old Car Is Less Than The Downpayment Of A New, Boring Car.
I remember when $20 filled the tank and covered the 12-pack of cheap beer for that summer vacation Saturday night party at the lake. I also remember shopping used car lots – at major dealerships, not those shady, b-road outfits – and all the excitement $3000-$7000 would buy you back then.

My brand spankin’ new 1997 Eagle Talon, the one I bought with 7 miles on it right after Labor Day in 1996, was less than $15,000. Now, I know the picture below is not of the base model 97 Talon, but it’s the only one I could find from the brochure that was large enough to be used here. Whatever. Lose the wheels and wing and what you see is what I bought for barely $14k back in 96. Compare that to what that kind of money buys you today.

Full disclosure of actual prices I’ve paid for my vehicles.

1988 Pontiac Grand Prix (I hated GM long before the bailout) – $5000 in 1994
1997 Eagle Talon – $14,xxx (got $3000 for the POS Pontiac in trade) in 1996
1991 Mitsubishi Galant VR4 – $1500 (stone dead in New Mexico) in 2004
1986 Volvo 245GL – $1000 (running and reliable in Tucson) in 2008
1992 Mitsubishi Galant VR4 – $2500 (running and reliable in Prescott) in 2008

The Pontiac was an utter piece of shit. I wouldn’t wish that kind of sorry-ass Detroit failure upon anyone. The Talon fast became a standard. When I finally sold it, I actually wept. It had over 210,000 miles on it and had only let me down due to my own failings under the hood (who eyeballs piston ring end gaps anyway?). The first GVR4 is getting a roll cage installed for rally racing in the desert southwest next month. The Volvo was so damn reliable, I sold it to my father-in-law for the price I paid for it. He loves it now. And the 92 GVR4? I daily drive it.

Are there newer, easier cars to drive? Sure, but I haven’t had a car payment in I don’t know how long and I can’t imagine ever having one again.

Maintenance Can Be Shocking…ly cheap.
My brother Dan has a 2003 M3 ragtop. If the battery in the ignition key dies, he can’t start the car. The cost to replace the dead key? About $160. Daaaaaamn. Dan is my bro, and I love the guy, but I sure hope he’s got a buyer lined up for a testicle or something when that SMG transmission shits the bed. On the other hand, my 18 year old Mitsubishi turbo ran me less than $300 for a new radiator, timing belt, balance shaft belt, all new idler and tensioner pullies, valve cover gasket, cam seals, oil pan gasket, coolant and water pump. Hell. The water pump was less than $50!

Now, will Dan’s M3 spank the shit out of my Galant? Oh absolutely. It’s more powerful, faster, better looking, and more highly regarded than my poorly painted Mitsubishi, but even if you have to pay someone to work on your old car, you still come out ahead in the long run. That new car comes with a $400/month payment. How many months would it take before your repair was paid off?

Worst case scenario, if my Galant were dropped off the Empire State Building, struck by lightning 100 times on the way down, landed on a landmine, and the city of New York charged me $1000 to clean up the Mitsubishi dust that resulted, I could replace it with another limited edition, turbocharged, all wheel drive Galant VR4 for less than $5000 (and that’s if I didn’t decide to completely defect to the TurboBricks clan).

The Community Makes The Car.
Everything I know about cars I learned from 2GNT.com. Daisy (my 97 Talon) introduced me to the world of online car communities. 2GNT is family. In recent years, I’ve been getting more and more tech from GalantVR4.org. The list of people I could thank for their help over the years is too long to publish here, but the community absolutely makes the car. The online car forum is in need of some changes (more on that later), but the older, less expensive cars are available to a much more diverse group than the newer models, making it easier to get involved in the community.

In Most States, A Pre-OBDII Car Is Easy To Get Through Inspection.  Really Easy.
Maybe you don’t have emissions testing where you live, but you might as well get ready for it. If you’re one of those people who enjoys doing anything unique to your vehicle (it is your property, after all) local emissions laws can – and often do – reach far beyond the realm of emissions. Ask any gearhead in California about CARB and grab a couple bucks in quarters for the swear jar. Outside of the People’s Republik of Kalifornia, older, OBDI (and pre-OBD) vehicles often benefit from more relaxed emissions standards.

For example, Arizona tests pre-OBDII vehicles by strapping the drive wheels to rollers and driving the car through it’s paces. Thing is, they can’t do this for full time AWD vehicles like the Galant VR4 (or DSM). All they can do is hook up the tailpipe sniffer and let the car idle for ten to fifteen seconds. They also check the gas cap, make sure there’s a catalytic converter under the car, and poke around for obvious issues under the hood. Disconnect your EGR valve and plug the vac lines with old golf tees? Yeah, that’s a fail, but if everything looks legit, it’s deemed legit, you pass.

Spend Your Money On Tangible Things, Not Insurance.
This one is tough for me. Insurance on older vehicles is cheap compared to new ones, but you also run into the risk of being royally screwed in the case of a claim. Suppose you paid $1500 for a dead GVR4, put a couple grand into it, got it back on the road, and it was good as new aside from a paint job, but some idiot runs a red light and you t-bone him. His insurance company is going to want to give you a stick of gum and Jelly of the Month Club membership as payment in full for your now totaled vehicle.

Maybe you bought a $2500 car that was, for the most part, in excellent condition, put another grand or so into it, and got it up to where the only issue was a less-than-perfect paint job when some stroke rear-ends you because he’s texting and driving. His insurance company is going to want to give you Buy-One-Get-One coupon for Sizzler and a hearty handshake as payment in full for your now totaled vehicle. If you own an older car, you pay less for insurance, but you have to do more legwork when filing claims if you want top dollar.

If you paid $1000 for your car, why would you have full coverage insurance with a $1000 deductible?

James hits the nail on the head when it comes to the older cars. Not only are there financial benefits to ownership, but they can have a lot more character and, when it comes to your car, do you really want to be just another choad in a commuter turd with iPod connectivity and Bluetooth?

Here’s hoping this topic goes on…

In the glovebox:

• AutoJournos, Meet Auto-Journo
• Local Motors’ Rally Fighter in Phoenix
• The Aston Martin DBM?