Help Me Find My next Classic Car!

Again… well written:

Not that i don’t respect the greatness of the Z, but maybe this will help.

i meant “maybe this will help”. sorry.

Not that i don’t respect the greaness of the Z, but maybe gris Will help

Hello, fellow Petrolicious lovers – thank you very much for all your insightful comments and suggestions. Also, I want to thank Michael Banovsky for answering my email a few weeks back replying that he was going to do an article on my “dilemma”. He thought you guys might have some advice, comments, suggestions or stories that would help in me decision making of what classic car should be my first. Well, I got to say the comments are pulling in there different directions – about equal between the 240z and the 914 with the Puma a close third. All three… Read more »

Well, as a brazilian and owner of a Puma GTS 1975, I´ll say to you that the coments about the quality of the puma aren´t true. The pumas got the finishing and interiors with the quality comparable to porsches of the same age. The only question is about raining, because the construction of the carroziere is in fiberglass, the rubber of the windows don´t fit much right and its a very rare item even here in brazil. So when it rains, water will enter a little in the car. But its not very concerning because its made in fiberglass and… Read more »

Great cars to consider… looks like you are a fan of the long nosed, hatchback/shooting brake, style. If so, I would suggest you consider another option, the Triumph GT6.

Definitely not as powerful as the 240z or Porsche, and probably not as well known or with as deep a restoration knowledge bank. But they make up for it in style and the classic combination of a small light chassis, combined with a relatively big engine. Definitely worth a look!

Z!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

David, my fellow Canuck, as someone who just recently bought my first ‘classic’ (’74 MGB) after years of dreaming, saving & driving others cool cars, I am glad I went with one that has parts readily available along with many forums and clubs to assist with both info and practical. Unless you want to spend most of your time waiting months for parts to ship from South America, go for a car you can find parts for easily – the Datsun wins hands down. I enjoy working on my car, but I don’t want to work on it constantly, or… Read more »

Puma, definitely. It’s weird and weird enough, it’ll be a proper adventure. And there’s one word that describe human desire, that is “adventure”!!

How about a Fiat 124 Sport Spider?

Wow, this one hits close to home! My very first car ever was ALMOST a Porsche 914. I ended up backing out of the deal and getting a 1977 Datsun 280Z. That got stolen a year later and I replaced it with a 1974 Datsun 260Z. I love the Z cars, they’re amazing, but now I own a 1997 Porsche Boxster. The Boxster has been my favorite car that I’ve ever owned, and strangely enough, before I decided on that, I was considering a 914… AGAIN!! The problem was I couldn’t find a 914 that I liked, the Boxster came… Read more »

I bought a 240Z as a project car this past September and I couldn’t be happier; fun project car that can take you in many directions, and is easy to work on. The price point is great, and the parts are not hard to find. The community is also great, so whenever you run into a problem you can get an answer quickly. Dooooo eeeet! 🙂

If you’re looking for your first classic, which will probably be your only classic for awhile, don’t buy one without looking at the clubs and forums of the owners of that model; make sure you have a basic understanding of what you’re buying and what kind of support–particularly local support–you can expect. And don’t buy one you haven’t driven; nothing matters more than how physically and psychically comfortable you are in it. Do your best to make sure you’re buying something you ‘ll enjoy driving. At the price level you’re going to be buying at, the “investment” value is a… Read more »

I would go for the 240Z. If you intend on modifying it in any way, it’s a blank canvas. If you want to keep it original, a nice example shows off the beautiful lines and silhouette of the car. Way better looking than a 014 in my opinion, but you lose out on the top-down fun so it’s a trade-off.

The clincher for me? That sweet 2-liter straight six! They don’t make engines like that anymore.

You can see 914’s screaming ’round the track in the movie Le Mans. So if you have a healthy respect for rust, and if you don’t live in Victoria, BC, you can still enjoy your car while it’s insanely cold and icy outside.

Go for the 240Z. Good looking car, cool club back up, decent usability, better than marginally safe, great parts supply/aftermarket, well worn restoration path, rising value, and oh yeah….. they are GREAT driving cars!

Seems like a no brainier to me!

240Z has my vote. I vote mostly out of price point. I find the 914 not very pleasing to the eye. The Puma looks very close to the 240Z but I doubt you will be able to find parts as easy as a 240Z. If you mentioned a 944 I would say it’s a tie with the 240Z. Drive each and look around. The choice is yours.

914, Porsche values are on the rise, it is great fun at the track and if you get aggressive, you can do a 3.2 conversion for some great handling, super fast fun! I would say 240 as second choice and Puma last for all kinds of reasons (although I appreciate the fact that you would have a unique car in that one). Seems as if you can’t really go wrong, just that the others aren’t quite as right as the 914!

Well Bro, in my humble opinion, you can’t “fall in love with a classic” just by looking at photos and reading stories. You’ve got to get in a few, find THAT road, go through the gears and let the car transform you. Back in 1979, my dad taught me how to drive manual shift on his 1956 Chevy step-side pick-up; 3 speed on the column -great stuff that I would drive for a few years. In 1981 I drove my friends right side drive, 5 speed, 1973 BMW 2002tii form LA to San Diego – wonderful, freeing, bitchen. Many classic… Read more »

Take the puma, always a special adventure to own a very rare car,

What about:
Triumph GT6 / TR6
Opel GT
Peugot 504
Fiat Dino

Forgot the BMW 635

I’m a huge Porsche guy and I’ve got the 914 on my radar but… I can’t get over the 240z, it would be my choice.

When I was at the shop today dropping off my 911e there was another clients 914 outside, looks great but not very much space and the lines of the 240z are nicer. If you’re not obsessed with originality you can have a lot of fun with customizing a 240z. Good luck.