My question- is it normal to want a car that is over 30 years old? It's not normal is it?
What's wrong with not following the herd? Just because all the other lemmings are jumping off the cliff doesn't mean it's the right decision for you.
I don't need a 33 year old car. There are 1/2 dozen things that I should spend the money on (... new daily driver).
<pshaw> That's the boring, conformist way out. I think this movie clip says it best:
Give me your story. What made you buy a G-body car that you don't really NEED?
In my case, I wanted something a bit outrageous--old school simplicity without any of the modern safety sissy crap that isolates the driver from the experience. I had envisioned driving an
engine, and I had to find a car to wrap around it. The G-Body was the lightest platform (even with its full frame) that was commonly available and had enough engine bay real estate to accept whatever powerplant I might drop into it. I was open to any brand and almost any year; I just so happened to find an '80 GP that was solid so that's what I bought.
I sourced a 454 for dirt cheap and rebuilt it with all forged components. I set it up for a carburetor, which I then borrowed from a friend. I dropped it in, hooked up the 4L80E, and have been having fun ever since. This car makes all the right noises (full-length headers + Pypes 3" mandrel exhaust system), all the right vibrations (entire car shakes at idle in gear), and always feels like you are
just barely on the edge of control. Indeed, there is no traction control, no stability control, and no drive-by-wire computer that tries to smooth out the power delivery--it can be downright brutal. Thanks to the TrueTrac limited slip, this car steers itself from both ends. At WOT, I genuinely feel like this car is actively trying to kill me... and I love it for that.
I have owned a 2006 Mustang GT 5-spd, a 2001 Camaro SS 6-spd, and a 2008 Charger R/T. All three of them offered pleasant, isolated driving... with good power in reserve if the need arose. You could drive every one of those cars in the rain with only one finger on the wheel. Hell, I even commuted through the winter in the Charger and it was perfectly safe. None of those cars were as visceral as my Grand Prix--not by a long shot. They were all very boring.
My G-Body has so much more character than all of them combined. My car guy friends understand this. Most regular folks don't get it. That's okay; they can go out and sink $30k (or more) on whatever new vehicle appeals to them. I'll still be driving my old car with a huge smile on my face.
