CART JANUARY MASTER 1

Page 6 January Edition Carthage Gazette
Page 14 January Edition Seven Lakes News
Affordable Classic Cars
We admire classic cars from a
distance as unobtainable trophies
for wealthy enthusiasts. We dream
about driving them, but don’t bother
shopping for them because of our
assumptions that these head turners
are out of reach.
There are more affordable classic
cars that are easy to live with than
you might think. You don’t even need
to know a lot about cars to own them
and drive them. If you’re getting tired
of your boring car and craving something
a little more interesting, here
are some classic cars that anyone
can own.
#1 Original Volkswagen Beetle
The longest running automotive platform
of all time, the original people’s
car is still an icon. Its quirky design
and everyday practicality make it an
appealing classic that can easily be
daily driven.
The car made a few changes here
and there over its massive 65-year
production run, but many features of
the car endured.
that everyone loves. This one will
have more people stopping you in
the parking lot to talk about your
car than anything else on this list.
Famously called “the mullet of cars”,
the El Camino is business in the
front, party in the back. While everyone
knows it’s a classic, not everyone
knows how attainable they are.
You might not find a pristine 1970
SS at an affordable price, but there
are plenty of other El Caminos out
there for under $10k.
#4 Datsun 240Z
Globally known as the Nissan S30
and sold as the Datsun 240Z, this
was a landmark in Japanese sports
cars. Its stunning design with some
noticeable European influence made
the car a hit. It didn’t hurt that it
had the performance to back up its
looks. The Z Car started production
in 1969 and is still alive through a
series of successors to this day.
placed with black rubber bumpers.
They’re pretty ugly compared to the
chrome alternative, but they don’t
come close to ruining the look of the
handsome roadster. Even the clean
ones go for under $5k.
#6 Porsche 944
Purists will tell you this wasn’t a real
Porsche because of its off-brand
configuration. It had a liquid cooled
inline four cylinder engine in the
front of the car rather than the traditional
air cooled boxer engine behind
the driver. The purists can say what
they want, but this is a perfectly
legitimate sports car. This is great
for people who like Porsche, but are
afraid of the maintenance on a more
traditional model.
#7 Chevy Bel Air
The 25 year model run make the
Bel Air a much more versatile model
than just the ubiquitous “57 Chevy”.
While the 50’s models are the most
iconic for good reasons, Bel Airs
were also formidable muscle cars
through the mid-1970’s. The fun of
Bel Airs is the multitude of configurations.
of it as a muscle car, the original
idea of the Charger was a personal
luxury car similar to the Buick Riviera
or Ford Thunderbird. Of course you
can get an R/T with a monstrous
Hemi V8, but there’s a lot more to
the classic Dodge Charger than just
that.
#9 Mercedes R107
This version of the classic Mercedes
SL Class is right in the sweet spot
of affordability right now. It was
available as a soft-top convertible,
removable hardtop, or you could get
the C107 which was the same car as
a coupe with a fixed roof. The United
States was the biggest market for
these cars with over half of them
being sold here.
Any used Mercedes is a great way
to make you look wealthier than you
actually are, why not do it with a fun
roadster?
#2 Ford Mustang
Another car with a long, storied production
run, the Mustang has several
affordable styles to offer. From the
legendary first generation, the boxy
Fox body, and more modern examples,
Mustangs will get you noticed.
Mustangs aren’t just designed to
look good and be fun to drive; they’re
also designed to be low-cost. That
makes them abundant and affordable
today.
#3 Chevy El Camino
The El Camino is a classic oddity
#5 MG MGB
MG is a largely forgotten brand
today, but they were one of the premier
manufacturers of British roadsters
for decades. One of their most
famous examples is the MGB. It was
available as a roadster convertible or
as a GT.
The MGB experienced a styling
change that’s still controversial
among enthusiasts. In 1974, its
sleek chrome bumpers were re-
They could be had as coupes, sedans,
four door station wagons, two
door shooting brakes, and even convertibles.
In classic American fashion,
they had a list of different V8’s
available under the hood. However,
some of the more common models
are going on the cheap.
#8 Dodge Charger
The Dodge Charger is synonymous
with American muscle. It was based
on the intermediate sized Dodge
Coronet, but available only as a fastback
coupe. While most of us think
#10 Chevy Camaro
The Chevy Camaro is the crosstown
rival to the Ford Mustang. The
current sixth generation Camaro is
arguably the best one ever made,
but there is a lot to be desired in the
classics.
Camaros are fun to shop for because
you can decide on just about
any budget and you can find a
Camaro that fits in that price range.
You can spend under $5k on a late
second gen-early fourth gen or you
can spend just about as much as
you want on some of the more iconic
models like a first gen Z/28. Get a
V8 if you want to go fast or get a V6
if you just want to look cool.
By: Rick Levinger