Which classic cars are the easiest restore and best daily drivers?

Question:

Can you recommend a classic car as a daily driver? What cars are best as far as availability of parts? Muscle is not a factor with me and, in fact, neither is design nor appreciation in value. Chrysler’s slant-six powered cars are a favorite of mine, but ’m not sure if they make good restoration candidates. There are many books on how to restore, but I need a book on what to restore.

Answer:

I believe that any of the more popular domestic cars made in the early ’70s, the ’60s and the ‘50s make practical, somewhat economical and fun daily drivers. Based upon your preference for slant six Chryslers, I can certainly recommend something like a Dodge Dart or Plymouth Valiant. Because millions of these cars were sold, parts are readily available and inexpensive. As is true with almost all collectible cars, and with relatively inexpensive cars like Darts and Valiants in particular, you are much better off spending more money up front and buying a better car to start with rather than buying a basket case and totally restoring it. The difference between a really nice six-cylinder Dart and one needing major rust repair and other extensive restoration is usually less than a couple of thousand dollars. Even if you did most of the work yourself, you’d be hard pressed to do a comprehensive restoration on anything for under a couple of thousand dollars these days.