recommendations for an 80's/90's dirt road cruiser with rally vibes

[s_curran]

We recently traded in our manual crosstrek for am outback, and I want something a little more light and fun to cruise around the dirt roads in VT. I also want to learn a lot more about working on cars, so something more approachable will be fun for that i'm thinking. I don't want anything precious. I would like RWD I think, a GTI or something could be neat too, but i've never owned a RWD car. Here's my current short list of search terms, anything I should add / remove or be aware of? I'm hoping to spend less than 2,000 on the car, and dont really care about the exterior / interior condition.

1. Volvo 240 - Ideally I would be looking for a 2dr, manual turbo, but these seem rare, fine with 4dr or wagon though. They seem the most abundant of the options i'm thinking, can be had cheap, and I have friends with tons of experience. They seem reasonably tough and light. I wouldn't feel bad about screwing one of these up. I also am a fan of the look. Found plenty in the price range, but not enough manual transmissions yet.

2. Datsun 510 - Long shot I know, but this would be the dream. Maybe too precious. There seems to be quite a few 240's sitting around in barns around here for some reason, might be cool with that too.

3. BMW - e30, or I'm sure there are plenty of other models. Seem popular / expensive, and im while the look is cool, it might be "too cool" for me.

4. Porcshe 944 - surprisingly cheap ones out there, might be fun, not my favorite thing to look at but fun in its strange way.

[lumpy]

I grew up on a dirt road and live on a dirt road, in Massachusetts not Vermont but it's the same biome. And I've owned some beaters that I've worked on myself.

My best most condensed advice is, 1. be willing to travel, and 2. cast a broad net and buy on the condition of the specific vehicle, not the make and model. Old Vermont cars are rusty, and working on rusty cars sucks. When it takes you all day to drill out the bolts that hold the front seats in, just so you can get behind the dash and deal with some salt-induced electrical problem, you really start questioning your choices.

Don't buy anything complicated or expensive when new - rattling around on dirt roads is tough on 30-=year old electronics, 30-year-old wires get brittle and start rubbing around and getting weird voltage drops. You want something where you can get your head around the electrical system. Also you will find yourself relying on online forums for information and how-to so make sure there's a healthy one for whatever you buy. On the specific cars you mention, 240s are getting rare but Volvo 7 and 9 series are still around, cheap and robust. A 944 really isn't a good starter car for this kind of thing. I kind of want a car like this but where I live, I want a Pinto or a Squareback.

[ides1056]

buy something with fuel injection

save yourself some trouble

[thollandpe]

Early 90's Miatas are tough as nails, plentiful, lightweight, and reasonably priced. Stock ground clearance would need work, and dirt roading will show you that a ragtop chassis lacks torsional stiffness. But it's a car that starts moving the grin needle at really low speeds. Especially in snow.

[jdp211]

https://carsandbids.com/auctions/92n...volution-i-gsr
Auction ends in a half hour

[72gmc]

A 1981 Honda Accord hatchback with snow tires and a ski pole handle for a shift knob.

At least, that's what used to work for me. Be ready to catch the aftermarket stereo when you get it airborne.

[s_curran]

Early 90's Miatas are tough as nails, plentiful, lightweight, and reasonably priced. Stock ground clearance would need work, and dirt roading will show you that a ragtop chassis lacks torsional stiffness. But it's a car that starts moving the grin needle at really low speeds. Especially in snow.

you know, thats actually a pretty good idea, into it. I think the way you described it is best, "a car that starts moving the grin needle at really low speeds" is really what im looking for. I'm not out pretending im a rally racer on the roads around here, but it theres a corner where everything is visible and low risk its nice to have a little "extra fun".

bb014.jpg

[s_curran]

I grew up on a dirt road and live on a dirt road, in Massachusetts not Vermont but it's the same biome. And I've owned some beaters that I've worked on myself.

My best most condensed advice is, 1. be willing to travel, and 2. cast a broad net and buy on the condition of the specific vehicle, not the make and model. Old Vermont cars are rusty, and working on rusty cars sucks. When it takes you all day to drill out the bolts that hold the front seats in, just so you can get behind the dash and deal with some salt-induced electrical problem, you really start questioning your choices.

Don't buy anything complicated or expensive when new - rattling around on dirt roads is tough on 30-=year old electronics, 30-year-old wires get brittle and start rubbing around and getting weird voltage drops. You want something where you can get your head around the electrical system. Also you will find yourself relying on online forums for information and how-to so make sure there's a healthy one for whatever you buy. On the specific cars you mention, 240s are getting rare but Volvo 7 and 9 series are still around, cheap and robust. A 944 really isn't a good starter car for this kind of thing. I kind of want a car like this but where I live, I want a Pinto or a Squareback.

All really good points, bad electronics is one of the things I'm worried about. I ran into some issues with our crosstrek and dipped my toes in and messed around with a multimeter enough to know that I know nothing. In reality, the only thing I know with cars is the brake system and oil changes, so I've got a lot to learn.

[Tom]

I don't know about that. There was a faster Beetle at some point a friend's kid had that was all rusted out to where the front fenders would flap in the wind over about 40 and one time we were headed up I-87 to Lake George and we were pacing next to some guy in a Camaro that looked over and laughed so my friend's kid held up three fingers and smiled. "I'm in third gear." I was really surprised how that thing could get up and go.

[thollandpe]

Beetles were really fun to drive in the snow.

As long as you didn’t have too many people inside to fog the windows.

And only if the precipitation outside was cold and dry enough not to stick to the windshield.

I remember driving mine through snow deep enough that I could hear it and feel it against the floor pan. And see it too, coming through the holes. Braaaaaap!

[j44ke]

Not sure how reliable they are. But amazing how many things could be broken and still get the car home. No clutch? Only 3 working spark plugs? Battery dead? No problem.

[lumpy]

Beetles were really fun to drive in the snow.

As long as you didn’t have too many people inside to fog the windows.

And only if the precipitation outside was cold and dry enough not to stick to the windshield.

I remember driving mine through snow deep enough that I could hear it and feel it against the floor pan. And see it too, coming through the holes. Braaaaaap!

I had a buddy with a yellow super beetle. The heater channels were rusted out so he blanked them off and ran a hair dryer hose up from the exhaust jacket. The passenger's job was to play the warm air over the windshield to keep it clear(er).

[thollandpe]

Not sure how reliable they are. But amazing how many things could be broken and still get the car home. No clutch? Only 3 working spark plugs? Battery dead? No problem.

One thing they could not handle was dumping the clutch at relatively high revs. The helical drive gear would spit out the distributor, and the spring would pull it back in, most likely out of phase. You'd re-engage the clutch and massive misfiring would ensue.

I had a buddy with a yellow super beetle. The heater channels were rusted out so he blanked them off and ran a hair dryer hose up from the exhaust jacket. The passenger's job was to play the warm air over the windshield to keep it clear(er).

Mine had a sunroof. And a spatula. The passenger's job was to stand up, lean over, and scrape the windshield while we were driving. One way to deal with wintry mix.