Weekender as your daily?

[Maggot]

Just out of interest.. how does the car go (ie quick with newish engine lighter body etc etc) ?? ..and have you put newer brakes on it?

[rocket67]

20 years ago your weekender car was the daily drive car for millions of people.

We managed very well in those days without multiple air bags, traction control, EFI, crumple zones, air conditioning, power steering, etc,etc.

Heck i can recall renting a brand spanking new XC Falcon to drive from Adelaide to Whyalla. We marvelled at how smooth and quiet that car was.

Working as a sales rep in those days my drive cars were very basic. Cars like XR Falcons, VC Valiants, HT Holdens. Air cond would have been lovely, but was a luxury most of us could not afford.

Those cars were quite reliable. The observations i made at the time were that often Fords were the cars that you would see broken down with the bonnet up on the side of the road in the fierce summer heat, which was mostly due to the petrol vapourising in the fuel bowl. May have just been an Adelaide thing. The water was full of gunk and it would block the radiator tubes and cause the cars to overheat. You just need to keep the maintenance up.

For those of us that had no choice but to own 10 year old cars, it was utopia when we could buy something like an XF Falcon with air cond and power steer.

The biggest worry driving these cars around today is parking. Too many ill mannered selfish people around who take delight in opening their car door into other peoples cars.

Otherwise all good. Go for it.

Rocket.

[IEAT8S]

Originally Posted by Maggot

Just out of interest.. how does the car go (ie quick with newish engine lighter body etc etc) ?? ..and have you put newer brakes on it?

The car would run around the 11 - 12 second mark 1/4mile (havnt tessted it yet). All brakes have been upgraded to disc brakes off an XF. The car can be very quick if you put the foot down.

[Springfield_Johny]

Don't do it, I drove my XD ESP as a daily driver for a few years.

It's not just the fear of the vehicle being stolen or written off - mine was written off, it's all the small things.
Paint fading from being out in the open
All the marks and scratches you will gather
Interior wear

All these things seem to compound as you can't take the car off the road to get a seat retrimmed or get a door painted for a few scratches if you need to get to work the next day.

If it is involved in an accident insurance companies will see it as a 30 or 40 year old vehicle and value it as such and it won't matter how much you've spent on it, so your vehicle may be considered a write off for what would seem very little damage or the unavailability of parts

Some parts may be hard to replace should the become broken or worn from constant use such as dash switches, trim parts etc

[mrbaxr6t]

Originally Posted by IEAT8S

Hi guys

I am asking the question if there a many guys/girls that drive their weekend warrior on a day to day basis? What problems do you face? Reason being i have 3 cars under my name... The misses, my daily and my weekender. It would be great if i could sell my daily and save some cash on reg, insurance, fuel and etc... Is it worth getting a couple of scratches on your pride and joy for the savings that might come my way?

What sort of awesome dailys are people driving?

The car in question is a 1977 XC sedan with xr6 turbo running gear. Pretty much a full re-build. The car owes me between 30 - 40k.

Due to the running gear being out of a new car does it make it easier to use a daily?

Cheers

why have I not seen any pix of your car? that sounds wicked

[Neale]

Originally Posted by Jim Goose

that depends on the clubs rule.... find a club that allows any mods to the car and join up. Thats the whole idea...

I suppose it depends on which state your in aswell.

In NSW we had a guy in the club im in have a turbo & mechanical fuel injection on a 1600 escort.

The modifications that were documented with period advertisements from magazines showing that it could be done back then.

Someone complained from outside the club & he had to have them removed or the club faced loosing its ability to issue club registraton

I think in Victoria its different because there are some pretty modded cars down there on club reg.

[pottery beige]

Originally Posted by mrbaxr6t

why have I not seen any pix of your car? that sounds wicked

we have a challenge... pics or it didnt happen....

[pottery beige]

Originally Posted by Springfield_Johny

Don't do it, I drove my XD ESP as a daily driver for a few years.

It's not just the fear of the vehicle being stolen or written off - mine was written off, it's all the small things.
Paint fading from being out in the open
All the marks and scratches you will gather
Interior wear

All these things seem to compound as you can't take the car off the road to get a seat retrimmed or get a door painted for a few scratches if you need to get to work the next day.

If it is involved in an accident insurance companies will see it as a 30 or 40 year old vehicle and value it as such and it won't matter how much you've spent on it, so your vehicle may be considered a write off for what would seem very little damage or the unavailability of parts

Some parts may be hard to replace should the become broken or worn from constant use such as dash switches, trim parts etc

sooky.. bloody sook... cant wait to get my XA back on the road and driving it anywhere and everywhere... ffs i drive it in the rain just because im not meant to...
if it rusts.. fades.. chips.. cracks.. or dents.. the stuff of every day legends!!!!!!

[IEAT8S]

I have a build thread... but i cant upload enough pics. no memory left on my Ford Forums account. I cant get the good pics up.

[IEAT8S]

The pic in my display pic is my old XC. my new one is winter White

[SumoDog68]

If you built XC as a special weekend car it wont be suitable for a daily drive. For daily drive you would want something economical , safe and something that blends in .
XC is a great project /weekend fun car - it wont stand to daily grind well.

[davenl5l]

they were all daily's once no reason why they still cant be im going xa-xe next will drive it daily 30,000klms + per year despite what russell ingall says its just a car lol

[michael_ozzie]

My opinion, having a rubbish daily is what makes your weekender the car it is.
Yes it probably could do the daily grind no problem, but on the weekend, you would still be in the same car.

Never forget, 'A change is as good as a holiday'.

A bit of topic, but the missus who is driving around a 56 olds must be a car park expert. Having driven my old mans 56 olds, I would rather park a ship in dry dock every day.

[Jim Goose]

Originally Posted by davenl5l

they were all daily's once no reason why they still cant be im going xa-xe next will drive it daily 30,000klms + per year despite what russell ingall says its just a car lol

Big difference between the XA to XE.

Yes they were once driven as daily drivers.
The XA/XB/XC (V8 worse still due to the heavy front end) have incredibly crap brakes.
Most wont have aircon or power steer (try and parrallel park one of these in the middle of summer no aircon).
In standard trim the seats are uncomfortable and provide no support.
They also have poor to no ventilation.

Which is why mine went from daily driver in 1995 to weekend car in 2010.
If it was involved in an accident it would be near impossible to fix as where do you get panels from? Another rusty wreck?

I have driven my XB on long trips to Brisbane (where i drove it as my daily car in peak hour traffic! stayed 6 months) and to Rocky and Cairns (all from Townsville) and you really realise just how much it takes it out of you.
Unforgiving suspension, crap seats etc... all makes you very tired very quickly on long trips.

But then when you do put ya foot down.....

[Donny]

Originally Posted by michael_ozzie

A bit of topic, but the missus who is driving around a 56 olds must be a car park expert. Having driven my old mans 56 olds, I would rather park a ship in dry dock every day.

With a 56 olds, you would be parking a ship in a dry dock.. It would be the same thing virtually, such a big ole barge.

In the last 14 months Iv had to use my XY GT as a daily twice, first time for a month and a half, second time only a week and a half, but I still wouldnt take it to the shops or leave it anywhere..
Insured and alarmed as it is, still dosent afford me any peace at mind when it was parked somewhere out of sight.. I would seriously doubt it would still be there when I got back from the shops or bits would be knocked off it for sure..

I do drive mine rain or shine, I still wet wash it, I still sometimes take others out in it and as an occasional car, its great. As a daily, ummm no thanks. Its not really practical for me up here in QLD, not to mention no air, steer or brakes worth a damm and then add all the other idiot drivers around here.

If I was driving it everyday also, the novelty of it would ware off pretty quick as soon as something either happened or went wrong with it..
Im also very lucky as my daily is a sporty V8 as well which has all the mod cons, stops well, drives great, is comfortable, sounds awesome, has nearly the same power as my XY, drinks way less fuel and only owes me 10k. If the QLD rego guys ever get their fingers outta their butts and do this 90 day conscessional rego scheme, my XY will go permanantly on that.

Yours bein an XC sedan and retro fitted with later gear I think would be fine as a daily. Id add Factory type air con to it and power steer if it hasnt got that, and if your real lazy, add central locking etc..

[OzJavelin]

Originally Posted by Donny

With a 56 olds, you would be parking a ship in a dry dock.. It would be the same thing virtually, such a big ole barge.

50's cars are small .. try parking a late sixties (early seventies) fullsized Galaxie, Impala, Bonneville, Fury, Monaco, Imperial, DeVille, etc, etc. You'll spend most of the day driving around trying to find a carpark big enough.

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c1...-Impala-SS.jpg

It was always easy to find my Impala in a supermarket carpark .. just look down the isles until you saw the thing sticking about 3feet out past all the other cars. These days with dual-cab 4x4s though not as unique ..

[Donny]

I was just havin a pi$$take at the old Yank Tank monniker.. But yeah, was thinkin tail fins, half a mile an 2 tons of steel etc..

When I think of big long Yank mobiles, I think of a Dodge Daytona at something like 18 plus feet long or the Plymouth Roadrunner Superbirds..

[ebxr8240]

I would say you couldn't insure it for what it owes you..
So easy for some one to run into it...
Keep it for special occasions..

[LOCO XP]

Originally Posted by pottery beige

sooky.. bloody sook... cant wait to get my XA back on the road and driving it anywhere and everywhere... ffs i drive it in the rain just because im not meant to...
if it rusts.. fades.. chips.. cracks.. or dents.. the stuff of every day legends!!!!!!

ah, that was all the encouragement I needed! I am facing a current dilemma of a (currently unreliable hack) classic as a daily (EH Wagon) which is starting to p*** me off...flattening the battery overnight, filling up with water in the recent heavy rain, crows feet everywhere, rust coming through in on-the-run rust repairs, wipers barely working, no heating or aircon, negligible brakes, a shifter that likes to engage in nowhere (aussie 4 spd).... stereo cutting in and out.... the list goes on..... yet I know exactly where the hell I stand on it, I built it, have used it frequently since '01....and daily for the last 2.5 years ( 60km round trip 6 days a week)..... it still makes me smile, the argument for "falling out of love" bs is soon forgotten after a day or 2 of driving an anonymous late model thing.... I am more worried about the wife's BA XR6T getting damaged. It's the wife's car that scores the garage overnight. The XP Ute is on the front lawn fading and being undriven as it awaits repairs. The EH is in the driveway. I know which car makes me happier and which turns more heads. Gonna enjoy driving it while it's still allowed on the road, they still make fuel and I can still afford to pay for it. Park these classics too long or spend years on concours nut and bolt restos to trailer queen them one day you might wake up and forget they were meant to be driven. Just a bloody car at the end of the day! Enjoy them. Must admit though if the EH plays up much more I'm gonna put the WB Stato on the road as a daily....it's 20 years newer and has e/windows, p/s, a/c, cruise..... if I can stretch the funds it might even get airbags, but not the safety type

week 1 of daily duties, june 09

[IEAT8S]

Originally Posted by ebxr8240

I would say you couldn't insure it for what it owes you..
So easy for some one to run into it...
Keep it for special occasions..

Ive called every insurnace compnay on this planet and only 2 would insure me... Just cars who will cover me up to $5000. The best of them all is Shannons who will cover $20000 which is more of a realistic number for me.

[jcxr]

Try Lumleys, they beat Shannons by a mile on my cars.

[pottery beige]

Originally Posted by LOCO XP

ah, that was all the encouragement I needed! I am facing a current dilemma of a (currently unreliable hack) classic as a daily (EH Wagon) which is starting to p*** me off...flattening the battery overnight, filling up with water in the recent heavy rain, crows feet everywhere, rust coming through in on-the-run rust repairs, wipers barely working, no heating or aircon, negligible brakes, a shifter that likes to engage in nowhere (aussie 4 spd).... stereo cutting in and out.... the list goes on..... yet I know exactly where the hell I stand on it, I built it, have used it frequently since '01....and daily for the last 2.5 years ( 60km round trip 6 days a week)..... it still makes me smile, the argument for "falling out of love" bs is soon forgotten after a day or 2 of driving an anonymous late model thing.... I am more worried about the wife's BA XR6T getting damaged. It's the wife's car that scores the garage overnight. The XP Ute is on the front lawn fading and being undriven as it awaits repairs. The EH is in the driveway. I know which car makes me happier and which turns more heads. Gonna enjoy driving it while it's still allowed on the road, they still make fuel and I can still afford to pay for it. Park these classics too long or spend years on concours nut and bolt restos to trailer queen them one day you might wake up and forget they were meant to be driven. Just a bloody car at the end of the day! Enjoy them. Must admit though if the EH plays up much more I'm gonna put the WB Stato on the road as a daily....it's 20 years newer and has e/windows, p/s, a/c, cruise..... if I can stretch the funds it might even get airbags, but not the safety type

week 1 of daily duties, june 09

all those little faults just add character....

[cs123]

Originally Posted by IEAT8S

I have a build thread... but i cant upload enough pics. no memory left on my Ford Forums account. I cant get the good pics up.

Put the pics up on imgur or photobucket, then use the IMG tags in your post. There is a how-to on the site support forum.

[nb_351]

i was using my zj fairlane as a daily for 9 months, it was comfy, had aircon and leather etc but it just becomes another car if you use it everyday...
if you want a nice everyday cruiser, go for a nf/nl fairlane 5litre or something, still fairly reliable, less fuel and comfy as for everyday use...
even my zj was an asspain everyday, overheating, stalling on occasion, faulty fuelgauge, just little things that add character to a weekend car, but an everyday car theyre annoying...
i use it for club runs now and love driving it, which is not enough mind you but it makes you appreciate it more...

[pottery beige]

how could getting around in this as a daily ever get boring...



never got hot.. never was a PIA.. always got pulled over by the cops..

[IEAT8S]

How do you deal with the cops with a machine like that?

[pottery beige]

Originally Posted by IEAT8S

How do you deal with the cops with a machine like that?

easy as.. its pretty well a stocker.. been over the pits its all cool..



spins up pretty well with the skinnys....

[WASP]

Things to keep in mind are the obvious compromises you may need to make with comfort and possible handling. Older cars that have been modified can also have a great tendency to become unreliable when used for the daily grind and this may pose some issues depending on how this may impact your work. For mine it is more about protecting your classic and safety. Driving in heavy traffic puts the chances of being caught up in your own, or someone else's incident. Your XC won't repond and react as well as most modern vechicles plus it can become heartbreaking to see your classic subjected to damage and wear and tear as time goes on. On the upside you get to drive your favorite car everyday which sounds like good thing, at least initially. I suggest you try taking your XC to work 2 or 3 times a week first and see how that goes.

[pottery beige]

Originally Posted by CDAA

Things to keep in mind are the obvious compromises you may need to make with comfort and possible handling. Older cars that have been modified can also have a great tendency to become unreliable when used for the daily grind and this may pose some issues depending on how this may impact your work. For mine it is more about protecting your classic and safety. Driving in heavy traffic puts the chances of being caught up in your own, or someone else's incident. Your XC won't repond and react as well as most modern vechicles plus it can become heartbreaking to see your classic subjected to damage and wear and tear as time goes on. On the upside you get to drive your favorite car everyday which sounds like good thing, at least initially. I suggest you try taking your XC to work 2 or 3 times a week first and see how that goes.

good advice.. i'm just a little too hardcore sometimes..

[IEAT8S]

Originally Posted by pottery beige

easy as.. its pretty well a stocker.. been over the pits its all cool..

image

spins up pretty well with the skinnys....

Jackle and Hide