Buying an old classic

[pedro01]

I have been mulling over buying a 'mid life crisis' vehicle, here in Thailand.

 

Now, I know what you are all going to say - YES - I KNOW a mia noi would be cheaper but to be honest, I still quite fancy my wife (bizarre I know) and we've been together for 13 years and she's showing very few signs of wear and tear.

 

So a car it is - maybe the classic 80's shape 911. A convertible SL500. Perhaps an Alpina even. Certainly not an old Ferarri - I want to actually be able to drive it.  But you know - something you could do 50 laps of Siam Square in on a Sunday afternoon. 

 

Is there a place a collection of such vehicles is listed or displayed? 

 

https://www.classic-car-friends-pattaya.com/cars_parts_1.php - the MGA on there is lovely, as is the already sold 230SL. The lotus Elan is pretty cute too.

 

Any other sources?

[chickenslegs]

????

I would buy the black MGA, drain down all the fluids, and keep it in my living room. Then I could sell my TV and just stare at it all day long.

[Justgrazing]

They are all a bit saucy as far as price goes .. And the black MGA at nearly 4 million baht is quite ridiculously priced .. But whatever you choose remember old cars need a lot more maintenance and usually repairs than modern vehicles , aren't as reliable and many won't have the kit that comes as standard on modern stuff like air-con which in a climate like Thailand will be not so easy to live without .. Personally forget the Lotus as that model was not particularly reliable when they were relatively new which is saying something for a Lotus and one that is well over 20 odd yrs old is asking for trouble .. If possible by way of budget and availability I'd look at either Japanese or German .. Datsun 240 or early Toyota Celica if you can find 'em are two pretty good choices on the Japanese front .. 

[neeray]

11 minutes ago, Justgrazing said:

If possible by way of budget and availability I'd look at either Japanese or German .. Datsun 240 or early Toyota Celica if you can find 'em are too pretty good choices on the Japanese front .. 

Edited 7 minutes ago by Justgrazing

One of the funest vehicles I ever owned was a '67  280Z that I bought as new, enjoyed it for a couple years and sold it for more than I paid (that was the era when Jap auto prices started rising rapidly).

[chickenslegs]

Brand new Mazda MX-5 top of the range, just under 3MB.

https://www.mazda.co.th/cars/new-mazda-mx-5-2019/specs-and-prices/engine/

Not an old classic, but falls into the "midlife crisis" category.

 

[ezzra]

Most of the classic cars you see around has a Toyota or a Nissan engines in them, and the whole and complete ones cost a mint and unproportional to what we know back home, having said that, a real classic beauty can still be found however caveat emptor should be exercised...

[Naam]

7 hours ago, neeray said:

One of the funest vehicles I ever owned was a '67  280Z that I bought as new, enjoyed it for a couple years and sold it for more than I paid (that was the era when Jap auto prices started rising rapidly).

 you mean of course '76.

[Naam]

4 hours ago, ezzra said:

Most of the classic cars you see around has a Toyota or a Nissan engines in them, and the whole and complete ones cost a mint and unproportional to what we know back home, having said that, a real classic beauty can still be found however caveat emptor should be exercised...

when i look at their prices and compare for what i sold my 1969 E-type a couple of years ago than i feel like telling them "keep on dreaming!" 

 

 

 

 

[tokyoblond]

Just down the road from me (Hua Hin), there's a small, cheap-as-chips body shop. Tucked away, outside, in the corner, he has a British racing green Jaguar XJ6 convertible. No idea whose car it is and it's been there for a year now. It was open to the elements but it's now covered in blue tarpaulin (I guess to keep the rain out in the rainy season, as the top is down on the car). Breaks my heart that every day it's just sitting there deteriorating, because, after all, it is a J-a-a-g! One day, when I win the Lotto........

[macahoom]

9 hours ago, chickenslegs said:

Brand new Mazda MX-5 top of the range, just under 3MB.

https://www.mazda.co.th/cars/new-mazda-mx-5-2019/specs-and-prices/engine/

Not an old classic, but falls into the "midlife crisis" category.

 

 

I'll fix that for you:

 

Not an old classic, but falls into the "hairdresser's midlife crisis" category.

 

 

[billd766]

The only car that appealed to me was the Mercedes Benz "Adenauer Cabriolet" 1955. That had been sold anyway.

 

[billd766]

Here is a project car for you Pedro.

 

https://www.classiccarratings.com/auction-results/mercedes-benz-300-b-adenauer-cabriolet-1955-1860145500489-imperial-war-museum-duxford-4792

 

The task is to make it as good as this one.

 

https://rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/AZ14/Arizona/lots/r229-1955-mercedes-benz-300-b-adenauer-cabriolet-d/182253

[pedro01]

Just now, billd766 said:

Here is a project car for you Pedro.

 

https://www.classiccarratings.com/auction-results/mercedes-benz-300-b-adenauer-cabriolet-1955-1860145500489-imperial-war-museum-duxford-4792

 

The task is to make it as good as this one.

 

https://rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/AZ14/Arizona/lots/r229-1955-mercedes-benz-300-b-adenauer-cabriolet-d/182253

 

Nice - but I already have a job.

 

Plus - I want to drive something that has 18 year old boys shaking their heads at how 'that car' is wasted on 'that old fart'.

 

Sporty is a must. As nice as that car is, I am not aiming for the "Driving Miss Daisy" look.

[pedro01]

4 hours ago, Naam said:

when i look at their prices and compare for what i sold my 1969 E-type a couple of years ago than i feel like telling them "keep on dreaming!" 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That would do! Very nice.

[pedro01]

11 hours ago, chickenslegs said:

Brand new Mazda MX-5 top of the range, just under 3MB.

https://www.mazda.co.th/cars/new-mazda-mx-5-2019/specs-and-prices/engine/

Not an old classic, but falls into the "midlife crisis" category.

 

 

Not bad that - but I do concur with hairdresser comments made earlier. 

 

I want to turn heads, not style them.

[HAKAPALITA]

They start around I Mill Bht in the world.

[NCC1701A]

12 hours ago, chickenslegs said:

Brand new Mazda MX-5 top of the range, just under 3MB.

https://www.mazda.co.th/cars/new-mazda-mx-5-2019/specs-and-prices/engine/

Not an old classic, but falls into the "midlife crisis" category.

 

i looked at this car at the Bangkok Auto Show last year.

 

i started asking a lot of serious questions and then said "This car reminds me of my Porsche in California." 

 

The drop dead gorgeous FEMALE sales woman and the beautiful model became my friends instantly. 

 

 

[hansnl]

1 hour ago, pedro01 said:

 

Not bad that - but I do concur with hairdresser comments made earlier. 

 

I want to turn heads, not style them.

Then drive very fast and let the slipstream do the styling.

[steve187]

 

TR6 would be better, but still a classic

[VocalNeal]

15 hours ago, pedro01 said:

Is there a place a collection of such vehicles is listed or displayed? 

 

There is a vintage car club. That might be the place to start. But you might find the members and the owners will not fit into your laps of Siam Square model!!

 

2 hours ago, pedro01 said:

Plus - I want to drive something that has 18 year old boys shaking their heads at how 'that car' is wasted on 'that old fart'.

 

The key is to drive a car that 18 years old's don't even recognize the potential of. In reality they will only be impressed with something with a giant turbo on it !!

 

Get an old Toyota Crown or Nissan President and a driver? Wind the windows down and wave your whisky glass at the 18 year olds ??

[luckyluke]

Sure, old & young will be astonished :

 

[peterb17]

5 hours ago, macahoom said:

 

I'll fix that for you:

 

Not an old classic, but falls into the "hairdresser's midlife crisis" category.

 

 

Have you actually driven a MX5 ? There is very very good reason why these are the world’s most popular sports car .

 

They are good fun .

[cryo]

Keeping the mid life crisis will be far cheaper and buy new as you will see little sun from under the bonnet of an old car. All my friends that have classic cars spend more time making them run than actually running out in them ???? 

[Toosetinmyways]

7 hours ago, tokyoblond said:

Just down the road from me (Hua Hin), there's a small, cheap-as-chips body shop. Tucked away, outside, in the corner, he has a British racing green Jaguar XJ6 convertible. No idea whose car it is and it's been there for a year now. It was open to the elements but it's now covered in blue tarpaulin (I guess to keep the rain out in the rainy season, as the top is down on the car). Breaks my heart that every day it's just sitting there deteriorating, because, after all, it is a J-a-a-g! One day, when I win the Lotto........

Are you sure it is an XJ6 as Jaguar never made a XJ convertible. Only the XJS had a convertible model. A few of the 2 door XJ coupes were converted to soft top by a private company. Lynx I think. So if it is one of those it is very rare.

Thai TV featured the Thai classic car club once. The president has a 1957 Mercedes 300 SL Gullwing imported by his father from new. When asked what the biggest problems in the club were he replied. It is nearly impossible for the members to import a car. You have to search the country to find an already imported car. Most of the members cars were what I would call modern day classics.

[Lacessit]

Seriously, OP - you don't want to do this. Unless you have very deep pockets.

I bought a Mercedes 300CE coupe, 1989. It was fun to drive for a while, and turned heads with its classic lines. It became a money pit, with things going wrong all the time. After the second time it had to be towed, I got rid of it. The first time it was towed, a Mercedes dealership charged me 12,000 baht and failed to fix the problem. An independent mechanic actually diagnosed the problem correctly. An intermittent one, naturally.

Everything deteriorates with age. Contacts erode, wiring gets exposed as the insulation degrades, brake lines and transmissions acquire sludge. It becomes a constant battle to stay ahead and keep your heart's desire on the road.

Comparing that with something modern like a Kia Stinger is a joke. The Benz got 155kw out of a 3-litre engine. The Stinger gets 190 kw out of a mere 2-litres, or a whopping 272 kw out of the 3.3 litre V6. The only safety feature the Benz had was ABS. The Stinger has a whole raft of safety acronyms. EBD, ESC, AWD etc. etc.

The cachet of owning a classic car soon wears off when one realises the performance of modern cars far outweighs skin-deep looks. I'm cured of wanting to own a classic.

[Lacessit]

1 hour ago, luckyluke said:

Sure, old & young will be astonished :

 

Good luck with running an aircon in that.  The French called them "Deux Cheveux" because that was all you got. Although I'll admit watching them in corners was very entertaining.

[superal]

8 hours ago, Naam said:

when i look at their prices and compare for what i sold my 1969 E-type a couple of years ago than i feel like telling them "keep on dreaming!" 

 

 

 

 

and did you get your penis extension op ?

[luckyluke]

3 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

Deux Cheveux

2 Hairs ☺️

No

Deux Chevaux  ( Horses )

 

No aircon 

It's a Convertible ( Cabriolet )

 

[Lacessit]

23 minutes ago, luckyluke said:

2 Hairs ☺️

No

Deux Chevaux  ( Horses )

 

No aircon 

It's a Convertible ( Cabriolet )

 

You got me. When and where did you want to schedule the public whipping? My French is rusty.

Just wondering if you've heard Peter Wherrett's expression " Wouldn't pull the skin off a rice pudding".

[luckyluke]

2 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

My French is rusty

Fair enough,

my English is mostly scant.