----- Original Message -----
From: Burns, James B. <James.Burns@jhuapl.edu>
> A co-worker is looking for a pre-1975 project car. Pre-'75 will allow him
> to register it as a historic car in Maryland and not worry about smog and
> other inspections. He wants something pretty quick, with handling a
higher
> priority than power, but is also concerned about the cost of restoration,
> donor car availability, reliability, and factory and aftermarket parts
> support. Plans to use it a general fun toy car for commuting on nice days
> and maybe some autox and track days. Here is a list I came up with. Any
> other good suggestions?
>
> 1. Datsun 240Z (great performance potential, still turns heads)
> 2. BMW 2002 (one of my personal favorites)
> 3. Datsun 510 (another one of my personal favorites, but styled like a
> shoebox)
I haven't seen a 510 on the road since I moved east -- can you even find
them here?
> 4. Datsun roadster (might be hard to find donor car and parts)
Probably no less so than a 510 -- in fact, they turn up at least once a
month in the Post classifieds, so I'm willing to bet there are more out
there.
> 5. Mazda RX3 (might be hard to find)
Especially here -- didn't they rust?
> 6. Sprite/Midget (tiny and slow?, getting expensive as collector cars)
> 7. Spitfire (same comments as #6?)
> 8. Triumph TR6 (another one of my personal favorites)
Not to mention there's a pretty large British car support network in the
D.C. area -- two places near me in northern Virginia alone.
> 9. Porsche 911 (expensive parts)
How about a 356C -- not too expensive, unless you're looking for a pristine
one or a ragtop. Or an early 912 -- a former neighbor had one, and it was
more fun to drive than I'd have given it credit for. Or a 914 -- hard to
beat for a casual autocross and track car.
> 10. '67-69 Camaro (getting expensive)
> 11. '70-74 Camaro (big outside, small inside, possible redneck image)
I'm going to tell Ernie Manzella you said that! :) But if you're going with
muscle cars, you may as well throw Mustangs and Cougars into the mix -- both
seem to be pretty easy to find around here.
> I'm sure there are others such as some Alfas and Fiats, maybe even some
old
> Toyota Corollas and Celicas, but I don't know much about them. I
personally
> would probably choose the 240Z or 2002, but it might be tough to find ones
> that aren't rusted out.
An early Celica would be fun, but they seem to be pretty rare. I think an
Alfa GTV would be fun, too -- the 6-cylinder fastback. Wasn't there a naval
officer who used to run one locally?
Jamie
'92 Prelude Si (and a '63 Suburban exempt from emissions inspection)
Speed Demon Racing
http://www.mindspring.com/~jsculerati/sdr
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