# Classic Trad Vehicles



## RileyDee (Jan 10, 2010)

I am aware there is a Contemporary Trad Car thread but how about a classic trad car thread? A thread complete with pictures of well maintained trad vehicles.

The vehicle I learned to drive in was "borrowed" from my best friend's father a few times prior to my sixteenth birthday and regularly thereafter. It holds a place in my heart.

*If you fellas throw out a suggestion and put in a year or range of years I will try to add pics so that we have a pictorial representative as well.*

*Jeep Grand Waggoner*
(actual aformentioned Grand Waggoner not pictured below)


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## Earl of Ormonde (Sep 5, 2008)

Please define the critera for a trad vehicle.
I always liked the Nash Rambler myself when I saw pictures of it as a kid.


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## mualphapiper (Dec 13, 2009)

For the tweed and Barbour crowd, a classic Land Rover is essential!


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## Earl of Ormonde (Sep 5, 2008)

Jaguar Series 1 XJ6 or a Jowett Javelin or a Rover 3.5 coupé or a Jaguar 420G or a Morris Minor or any 1930s Vauxhall.


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## Pentheos (Jun 30, 2008)

From a trad American perspective, I'd say any older Volvo, esp. a wagon, or a Mercedes estate wagon. Lots of room for a dog, groceries, thrift store purchases, it's safe, reliable, etc.

I have a feeling that a MG or a Triumph might fit the bill (and lead to many bills), but not as a main car.


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## WouldaShoulda (Aug 5, 2009)

How I lusted for the 240!!


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## GentlemanGeorge (Dec 30, 2009)

Along the lines of the OP, how about the International Travel-All and the Scout? I don't have any pictures, but I have a friend who collected a couple of them a few years back.


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## Jazzer (Jan 21, 2009)

Great thread. How about the MB 300td and 300cd?


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## EastVillageTrad (May 12, 2006)

I'm sorry but how many times have we been over this kind of thread before?

It seems to creep back up every year or so... getting to be like groundhog-day around here more and more...


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## D&S (Mar 29, 2009)

That's a Grand Wagoneer, not a Grand Cherokee in the first pic.

BMW's Bavaria and 2002, SAAB 99, Morgan Plus 4/8, Lotus Elan and Elan +2, pre-TR7 Triumph TRs, Range Rover (bonus points if RHD), MGB, Ford Country Squire, Jaguar Mk. II.


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## 14395 (Mar 10, 2004)

GentlemanGeorge said:


> Along the lines of the OP, how about the International Travel-All and the Scout? I don't have any pictures, but I have a friend who collected a couple of them a few years back.


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## dwebber18 (Jun 5, 2008)

I love trad fashion but with everyones recommendations, I can't quite love trad cars. I love my MINI cooper too much to trade it for a volvo wagon or a Wagoneer


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

Why pray tell, do the vast majority of our Trad/Classic Trad vehicles seem to have been models that demonstrated terrible maintenance histories/proven to be very expensive to feed and care for? Just wonderin!


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## RileyDee (Jan 10, 2010)

*Earl of Ormande:* My hope is this thread will actually help define "trad" vehicles, pictorially.

*EastVilliageTrad*: The joys of dealing with noobs, right? 
I apologize for the redundancy. However, I searched the site and found some new "trad vehicles" threads but I did not find a "classic trad vehicle" thread. My hope for this thread is that it would become definitive and also chock full of pictures to go along with the vehicle's descriptions. Perhaps if this thread gets a good response it will stymie the cyclic new trad vehicle thread. Cheers!

*D&S:* Thank you sir, I posted well past my bedtime.

Pics of some of the mentioned vehicles. *Please feel free to add your own pics.*

Bavarian









Nash









Jowtt Javelin









Jaguar Series 1 XJ6 









Jaguar 420G









Saab 99


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## ds23pallas (Aug 22, 2006)

I still drive a trusty 1985 300D


And a 1960 Porsche that my father purchased new while attending university


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## smujd (Mar 18, 2008)

Jazzer said:


> Great thread. How about the MB 300td


Great car. Had a 1985 300td for manmy, many years. Still have my 1982 BMW 320i.


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## WindsorNot (Aug 7, 2009)

WouldaShoulda said:


> How I lusted for the 240!!


+1. My father had a 240 wagon and I a 240 for the longest time. That thing was an absolute tank. Sadly, I didn't realize how cool it was until after high school.


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## Earl of Ormonde (Sep 5, 2008)

Grand job there with the photos Riley. That Nash, for me anyway, is a
lovely looking car.

Also perhaps a Volvo PV 544,which I've always liked, which reminds one a
little of a 40s Ford Mercury. However not the earlier PV 444, as that only had 3 gears.

https://www.swaqvalley.com/Blueprints/1963_Volvo_PV544_Sport.jpg

https://www.njskylands.com/Imagetn/cars_Plumbo_1940%20Ford%20Deluxe.jpg

The Jag 420 was known in the UK as the "Fat Cat"


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## WouldaShoulda (Aug 5, 2009)

ds23pallas said:


> And a 1960 Porsche that my father purchased new while attending university


I'd keep Ferris and Cameron away from that if I wuz you!!


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## schneider (Mar 4, 2005)

I never could decide between German and Brit Classics!


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## D&S (Mar 29, 2009)

Not quite classics, but the Volvo 700-Series (740/760) from the mid-80's to the early 90's is pretty trad, as is the SAAB 900 and 9000 from the same era. The original Audi 100 seems to fit the bill too, as does the Peugeot 505. The Toyota Land Cruiser is worth mentioning, as is the Chevrolet Suburban that was current from the mid-70's all the way through the early 90's.


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## D&S (Mar 29, 2009)

And of course, the Jaguar XK120/140/150 that preceded the XKE.


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## RileyDee (Jan 10, 2010)

schneider said:


> I never could decide between German and Brit Classics!


^Image from Schneiders Link Above









If both of these beauts' are in your garage you can color me racing green with envy.


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## schneider (Mar 4, 2005)

they are in my garage but I started early - me behind the wheel of my 1955 Morgan in 1966!

https://img341.imageshack.us/i/edinmorgan.jpg/


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## Earl of Ormonde (Sep 5, 2008)

schneider said:


> I never could decide between German and Brit Classics!


As I've always said "There are only 3 types of car in the world, British, German and everything else"

And a Swedish coleague of mine always takes that further and often says: "There are only 2 types of car in the world, BMW and everything else" :icon_smile_big:


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## Spats (Dec 3, 2008)

eagle2250 said:


> Why pray tell, do the vast majority of our Trad/Classic Trad vehicles seem to have been models that demonstrated terrible maintenance histories/proven to be very expensive to feed and care for? Just wonderin!


Yes. I've owned many of the examples in this thread, and had hands on experience with most of the rest, and that is all you need to know as to why I now drive a Honda. Second favorite nowadays (and Trad!!) is a Buick sedan. 
Buy one of those pictured in this thread and you WILL need good shoes. 
Jeep and Jaguar, indeed.  Spats


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## hookem12387 (Dec 29, 2009)

Earl of Ormonde said:


> As I've always said "There are only 3 types of car in the world, British, German and everything else"
> 
> And a Swedish coleague of mine always takes that further and often says: "There are only 2 types of car in the world, BMW and everything else" :icon_smile_big:


There's something other than BMW?


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## At Law (Apr 15, 2008)

The ultimate trad / preppy vehicle is a Range Rover of any kind.

I prefer the Range Rover Sport which combines a long history with
an updated look and performance.


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## KenR (Jun 22, 2005)

hookem12387 said:


> There's something other than BMW?


Not according to my wife...


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## Valkyrie (Aug 27, 2009)

*Mercedes 300s*

Pleased to see the references to the early 80s Mercedes Diesels. I'm on my third, continually over more than the last 20 years-one was totaled out from under me, another blew at about 350,000 miles. By far the cheapest vehicle to maintain I've ever had. One has to plan ahead on fueling, but they run and run and run. Stylish and a great ride too. And probably something only I care about: no squeaks or rattles even after all this time.

My (now adult) daughter says that no one is more associated with one model of vehicle than me and my early 80's Mercedes, with the possible exception of Batman and the Batmobile.


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## Brooksfan (Jan 25, 2005)

EastVillageTrad said:


> I'm sorry but how many times have we been over this kind of thread before?
> 
> It seems to creep back up every year or so... getting to be like groundhog-day around here more and more...


What he said. Since we're gonna ride this dead horse again, let's discuss what is the most trad golf club, tennnis racket, butler's table, iron/ironing board, fountain pen, rotary dial phone, ice cream maker, butter churn, corn broom, etc.


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## DownByTheRiverSide (Oct 25, 2009)

*If this is the prevailing attitude here ....*

.... then maybe AAAC should stop taking new members. Not everyone here has been here for 5 years, and some of us find this rather interesting.

I would think that the solution for a post that didnt interest you would be to skip over it and not read it, rather than disparage those who choose to take part in it.



Brooksfan said:


> What he said. Since we're gonna ride this dead horse again, let's discuss what is the most trad golf club, tennnis racket, butler's table, iron/ironing board, fountain pen, rotary dial phone, ice cream maker, butter churn, corn broom, etc.


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## Coleman (Mar 18, 2009)

DownByTheRiverSide said:


> .... then maybe AAAC should stop taking new members. Not everyone here has been here for 5 years, and some of us find this rather interesting.
> 
> I would think that the solution for a post that didnt interest you would be to skip over it and not read it, rather than disparage those who choose to take part in it.


+1! I especially like the pics in this thread.

The thing I have the hardest time with is the lack of a sense of humor some of the older members have (older as in been around longer, not age). Can we really not ever mention the name of the forum without being chastised? For me a sense of humor---and being able to laugh at one's self from time to time---is an important component of Trad.


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## Pleasant McIvor (Apr 14, 2008)

DownByTheRiverSide said:


> .... then maybe AAAC should stop taking new members. Not everyone here has been here for 5 years, and some of us find this rather interesting.
> 
> I would think that the solution for a post that didnt interest you would be to skip over it and not read it, rather than disparage those who choose to take part in it.


All new members (and I still consider myself one, compared to the real veterans) should familiarize themselves with the search function. There is a wealth of useful information about clothes (it is a CLOTHING forum) archived here, as well as useless information, like which things are "traddest" and whether or not that's a word, etc.

Side conversations prompted by a nice car in a What-Are-You-Wearing post can also be interesting and are, like any thread here, most interesting when the focus is appreciation rather than definition. One of the things I like about this forum is its predominant good humor and gentility, and in keeping with those ideals, I find that following the examples of the more respectable and experienced members is good for the community as a whole. Notice their conspicuous absence from this particular thread.


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## Coleman (Mar 18, 2009)

+1

Although it might not be a classic like the OP is looking for, this is what I drive, so thanks, HistoryDoc, for posting it (mine's considerably dirtier---and it's silver).

My Forester is perfect for getting me up into the Wasatch mountains be it excellent or horrible weather.


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## hsw (Dec 23, 2009)

I appreciate classic, bespoke clothes but IMO cars are rapidly obsoleting tech devices w/critical safety attributes that clothes or furniture or smartphones or TVs will never have

Have gotten new Mercedes V12s (CL65 currently) every 6-12 mos for years: ultimate safety, performance and daily-useability in a commuter car...and a suitably refined, contemporary minimalist leather/Alcantara/carbon fiber interior to start and end one's day


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## Pentheos (Jun 30, 2008)

hsw said:


> Have gotten new Mercedes V12s (CL65 currently) every 6-12 mos for years: ultimate safety, performance and daily-useability in a commuter car...and a suitably refined, contemporary minimalist leather/Alcantara/carbon fiber interior to start and end one's day


If "trad" is a both a style and an ethos, then there can be nothing more antithetical to it than getting a new $125,000 car every six months.


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## Cardinals5 (Jun 16, 2009)

I never considered the "nature" of my vehicle, but I guess if trad is an ethos then I own a "trad" SUV :icon_smile_wink: Mine's a 1995 Jeep Cherokee Sport - old, boxy, and reliable just like a 3/2 sack.

Not my photo, but mine is identical


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## bd79cc (Dec 20, 2006)

Brooksfan said:


> What he said. Since we're gonna ride this dead horse again, let's discuss what is the most trad golf club, tennnis racket, butler's table, iron/ironing board, fountain pen, rotary dial phone, ice cream maker, butter churn, corn broom, etc.


I agree. Trad is about clothes. Or a historical fascination with America In The Mid-20th Century. It's not about what to buy or how to live. At least not for me.


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## RileyDee (Jan 10, 2010)

The intent here was not to commodity "trad" ala the preppy handbook. Nor was the intent to specifically codify "trad vehicles" the intent was to make a thread that was a definitive vehicle thread. As the default for appreciation here on this forum is "trad" any compilation of items appreciated here seem like they would be coined "trad".

My intent was to talk about vehicles that either hold a place in your heart ("trad" by default), were driven in the period that that is contextually regarded as "trad", or vehicles that we imagine old "trads" would be driving now. I always think of practicality and simple maintenance as being of the "trad" ethos. The fact that Patrick drives a beat up truck is irreproachably "trad" in my mind. Simple to fix, practical to use, has its own patina. To me that is awesome. The fact that Valkyrie is on his third Turbo diesel and is identified with it speaks to the same practicality in my mind. 

I can understand as we new members come here and are enthralled with all things" trad" there is a tendency to ask what is the most tradly paperclip, toothbrush, garden hose, etc. I can also see how this could be annoying to the older members&#8230;so&#8230;fair enough. 

IMHO I still think it would be nice to have a place to about talk cars we like or appreciate collectively.


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## M. Morgan (Dec 19, 2009)

Cardinals5 said:


> I own a "trad" SUV :icon_smile_wink: Mine's a 1995 Jeep Cherokee Sport - old, boxy, and reliable just like a 3/2 sack.


I'm in the market for a new (read: used) car, and am taking a look at some cars like yours. How many miles does it have, and how does it drive? Do you spend much on upkeep, fifteen years out? I need something that'll get me to and through the mountains for fishing trips.


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## Forbes (Jan 8, 2008)

You guys are making me miss my '85 Grand Wagoneer and my '90 and '99 Cherokees. The latter was retired in 2008. Terrific vehicles. Here's a shot of the Wagoneer:


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## rl1856 (Jun 7, 2005)

A Jeep Cherokee certainly fits the definition.

We are on our 2nd in our family. I had 1 for 7 years before getting a GMC Yukon then a a few years later picked one up for my eldest child. In both cases very trouble free outside of basic maintenance and normal wear and tear items.

The drive train is more than capable of providing 250k+ trouble free miles. Since the last one was produced in 2001, at best you are looking for a 9yr old vehicle. All of the usual caveats apply in terms of service history condition. But if you take the time to find a good one, you will have a great vehicle for a long time.

In the spirit of the thread, I would add the MB E300 and E320...W124 chassis. They are proving to be just as long lived as the their older 300 TD W123 Brothers. Again, 250k total miles with just regular maintenance. Rock solid driving experience and very reliable daily drivers. We had 95 wagon that we sold in favor of a 2002 wagon. Made the change becausae the 02 is bigger. But I liked driving the 95 better oh well.


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## mjo_1 (Oct 2, 2007)

M. Morgan said:


> I'm in the market for a new (read: used) car, and am taking a look at some cars like yours. How many miles does it have, and how does it drive? Do you spend much on upkeep, fifteen years out? I need something that'll get me to and through the mountains for fishing trips.


I drive an '01 Cherokee myself. It's just old enough to lack new, annoying overly electronic features/sensors, but new enough to be safe and easily find parts. The straight 6 and trans are bulletproof. I like that it has a real 2 speed transfer case with a lever and solid axles...fewer moving parts and things to go wrong. I'm at just over 100,000 and recently replaced the steering pump. Other than that, just regular oil changes. It'll certainly get you anywhere you want to go. (Provided you get 4x4, which to me is a requirement in a Jeep). Plus they can be found at great prices.

Best,

Michael


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## Youngster (Jun 5, 2008)

Everyone says my Buick is an old man's car... so it must be trad!


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## Walt Fields (Jun 26, 2009)

Trad Vehicle - just about anything in good repair that has over 300k miles when you know the owner can simply purchase another one at anytime.


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## M. Morgan (Dec 19, 2009)

RL and Michael, 

Thanks so very much for the helpful comments. Y'all are making a Cherokee sound very, very appealing. I like the look better than the Grand Cherokee (as well as the price).


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## Ricardo-CL (Mar 31, 2009)

I own a '81 200D Mercedes Benz, regretably I can't drive it in Santiago due to the pollution, it can only be driven out of town... conversion to Catalytic to comply with the emission regulations is economically unfeasible.

I concur with the comments on the 300D, these cars are fantastically reliable, having owned Toyotas and other japs, that are THE reference in reliability, I can say that the Mercedes is by far the most reliable car I've ever drove.

I look forward to move out of town to drive it again, with it I get 14 km/lt of diesel, which is equal to 33 MPG on highway, and since Diesel is 30% cheaper than unleaded gas in Chile, that would be equivalent to 47 MPG of gas in terms of price.... maintenance is another pro, I'm an engineer myself, and I perform all maintenance jobs and repairs, last time I had to change the right tail light, and since both were quite ugly due to the time stored, I ordered both to Germany, can you guess the price? 110 eur. the pair!!!, whereas a single Toyota tail-light for example, exceeds the 250 USD....

For me that's trad, and I would say every car that speaks for its origin and its people is, whether it's a Mercedes or a Ford Bronco, or an Aston Martin, or an Alfa Romeo.


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## Pentheos (Jun 30, 2008)

This thread has made me look into buying one of the older Mercedes...but I am quite happy with my 2002 Volvo S60.


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## chatsworth osborne jr. (Feb 2, 2008)

*Giles drove one*

Citroen DS


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## sailgclass (Nov 30, 2008)

As I'm on my 2nd Cherokee looking for my third I can attest to them being great vehicles. Plenty of parts are available in salvage yards as almost everything in the 17 year production run will fit. They also have an almost perfect wheelbase for offroading. Much less electronics than a grand cherokee as well.



M. Morgan said:


> RL and Michael,
> 
> Thanks so very much for the helpful comments. Y'all are making a Cherokee sound very, very appealing. I like the look better than the Grand Cherokee (as well as the price).


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## chilton (Jul 16, 2008)

At Law said:


> The ultimate trad / preppy vehicle is a Range Rover of any kind.
> 
> I prefer the Range Rover Sport which combines a long history with
> an updated look and performance.


The new ones don't really do it for me, this on the other hand....


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## sclemmons (Mar 4, 2006)

The best trad cars should appeal to the best trad girls. I went through the Toyota Land Cruiser phase and quickly graduated to the BMW. With a comparable upgrade on the girl front.

I am a Porsche guy now. I don't miss the trad cars. I do miss the trad girls sometimes.

No maintenance comments, please.


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## Cardinals5 (Jun 16, 2009)

M. Morgan said:


> I'm in the market for a new (read: used) car, and am taking a look at some cars like yours. How many miles does it have, and how does it drive? Do you spend much on upkeep, fifteen years out? I need something that'll get me to and through the mountains for fishing trips.


I'll echo the others in my recommendation of a Jeep Cherokee (not the Grand Cherokee). Mine has around 150,000 miles and besides basic maintenance I haven't fixed anything on it in a year. A year ago I put a new alternator in, but that's about most expensive repair I've had to do since I purchased it in 2003. It drives great - it's not a luxury vehicle - but is smooth and handles well. It gets about 15-18 mpg in the city and up to (if you drive at 55 mph) 25 mpg on the highway. I expect to be driving mine at least for the next decade if not longer - I'm pretty much hoping I can maintain it for the rest of my life since the body on mine is in great condition.

For hunting, fishing, off-roading the Cherokee is just about perfect.

The trick with older Cherokees is to get one in the best condition you can find (they sell very cheaply) and get one with as little "electronic" gadgetry as you can find - specifically avoid automatic locks and automatic windows (a notorious problem with older Cherokees).


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## smujd (Mar 18, 2008)

sclemmons said:


> No maintenance comments, please.


Still talking about the girls, right?


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## 32rollandrock (May 1, 2008)

Spats said:


> Yes. I've owned many of the examples in this thread, and had hands on experience with most of the rest, and that is all you need to know as to why I now drive a Honda. Second favorite nowadays (and Trad!!) is a Buick sedan.
> Buy one of those pictured in this thread and you WILL need good shoes.
> Jeep and Jaguar, indeed.  Spats


YES!!!

Buicks rock.

I am biased, having recently purchased a 1993 Century whose previous owner's obit showed up in the paper two weeks later. Far classier, I think, than the 1994 Taurus that it replaced. The typical nursing-home bargain: 44K, flawless save for little-old-lady rub-offs on all four bumper corners from trying to parallel park at church each Sunday. It cost me about as much as a valve job on an aging Volvo. The money I saved has been invested in a bazillion-watt stereo, with subwoofers to come. You need serious power for serious Bach, with windows rolled down, of course.:devil:

My wife drives a ten-year-old Cherokee, which has so far (88K) proven very reliable and especially handy in the snow and for hauling. That said, it doesn't offer near the comfort of a sedan for road trips. It, plus the Buick, gives us bragging rights on our block. Or, at least, the neighbors chuckle when I wax our fleet (at least three times a year, no matter what).

It's somewhat a question of practicality over function, I think. A Honda or Nissan or Toyota (sticking accelerators notwithstanding) are fine, trouble-free cars, but the upfront cost is too high, plus they are overly ubiquitous. If money were no object, yes, a Volvo would be great. But older, or secondhand, Volvos are, to my understanding, money pits. Once they start to go, they go in a major way, and the most basic of repair, say, an alternator, is big bucks. Ditto for high-end German cars. I'm led to believe that English vehicles are under-performing and unreliable, no matter the cost, and that repairs are astronomical. That was the assessment of a long-ago co-worker who purchased a Jaguar and regretted it all the live-long day, and a car nerd in high school who did enough research to know his stuff and concluded that a Chevette (it's been awhile since I was in high school) would accelerate faster and turn better than a Triumph MG.

I've gone on too long. I'm taking the Buick to the thrift store.


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## Earl of Ormonde (Sep 5, 2008)

32rollandrock said:


> YES!!!
> 
> Buicks rock.
> 
> I'm taking the Buick to the thrift store.


Bumping this as I thought the Buick references were relevant in light of the other thread.


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## Brooksfan (Jan 25, 2005)

Peugeot 505S Sedan and Fiat 124 Spyder


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## YoungClayB (Nov 16, 2009)

Had a 1988 jeep grand wagoneer but sold it about a year ago. I am thinking about buying and restoring an early model Ford Bronco now. I love the way those things look.


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## WJRJR (May 1, 2010)

mualphapiper said:


> For the tweed and Barbour crowd, a classic Land Rover is essential!


I love that one. Fantastic.


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## WJRJR (May 1, 2010)

chilton said:


> The new ones don't really do it for me, this on the other hand....


Although I never have had the good fortune of owning one I have to agree.


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## inq89 (Dec 3, 2008)

Trad before I even knew better. My first car: a british green 1991 Volvo 960 turbo. Not the above but close. Loved/hated the car. It had character but it sucked on gas and had some issues, but that comes with the age. Put a college sticker and my lacrosse stick in the back...preppy old school. Drove it from 2006-2008 in high school. Still in the family, my dad's beater!

When I get out of school and (hopefully) earn some extra money, would love to get an old diesel Benz or Range Rover c. 1980s-early 90s as my weekender. Great years for European models in terms of classic aesthetics imo.


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