How to keep it old-school
I thoroughly enjoyed Felix Page’s article in the 7 February edition about running a Volkswagen Beetle as his everyday car.
I use my 1967 Beetle on a regular basis – but the car that was my regular everyday car for many years was a 1958 Austin-healey ‘Frogeye’ Sprite. This took me to work every day, a journey of about 60-plus miles, for 20 years and now that I’m retired leads a less busy life, although it is still regularly used.
The recently acquired VW is also used regularly when the weather is a bit dodgy and to keep the miles off the Frogeye.
Here are some of my thoughts about running an older car as one’s regular driver.
Chose a model that has good parts availability, hence in my case the Austin-healey and the VW.
Line up a reliable mechanic who realises that this is your daily driver.
Maintain the car regularly and never start a project mid-week, as you will need the car the next day.
The minute you sense that something isn’t quite right, get it fixed. Don’t just put the car away and hope the problem goes away. Typically it only gets worse!
Over the years, I’ve upgraded the Frogeye so that it can handle freeway driving, so it now has front disc brakes, an enhanced 1275cc motor and, most significantly, a five-speed gearbox.
Although I do have a ‘modern’ car, my older cars are a joy to drive and are often admired when I’m out shopping or on the road. Brian Bastow
Thousand Oaks, California, US