ICE car under $50k to keep

[r0tor]

Writing is on the wall.  ICE is all bit dead in a few years. 

What car (new or used) under $50k currently do you buy/keep to hold on to your memories and show your kids/grandkids in 20 or 30 years what driving was all about.

[r0tor]

So I think this is a really hard question...

You have the basics...
1). The car has the be relevant to you
2).  It needs to be affordable

But then the car has to be

3).  Maintainable. 

I think this is going to be a massive struggle for many cars in the current era.  Maybe I want the car to be a Giulia Q...  But my best guess is Alfa has a 10% chance of surviving the EV revolution.  How do you get parts then 30 years from now - especially when you get into all these damn modules.  It's one thing to go boneyard hunting for a lower control arm,.  It's another to find a body control module with the right firmware AND find someone 30 years from now that still has a functioning wiTech computer that can rewrite the VIN and make it work with the other existing modules in the car.

I almost think you need to go back to 2000 and earlier cars with simplified electronics (or no electronics).  I can run an FD RX7 on a $5 Arduino if times get hard enough.  Or go to a brand like Porsche that seems to be taken a real interest on how to keep their existing fleet on the road.

[r0tor]

...then my mind even hurts more then I think about a WiTech type service tool.  Even if you have the hardware, the software is a frickin subscription service.  Good luck with that if the OEM goes under...

[shp4man]

My Grandpa had a 1950 Chevy pickup. Faded red paint, three on the tree six cylinder. You pressed a bellows on the floor to engage the starter, literally. Split windshield, slow as molasses, about 100 horsepower.  The brake pedal made a distinctive sound when it was released. As did the engine exhaust note.   
Man I loved that truck....and Grandpa.
I think you can still pick one up for under $50K these days. Like this:

[FoMoJo]

My Grandpa had a 1950 Chevy pickup. Faded red paint, three on the tree six cylinder. You pressed a bellows on the floor to engage the starter, literally. Split windshield, slow as molasses, about 100 horsepower.  The brake pedal made a distinctive sound when it was released. As did the engine exhaust note.   
Man I loved that truck....and Grandpa.
I think you can still pick one up for under $50K these days. Like this:

A beauty.

No problem keeping something like that in running order well, forever.  Just keep a few crates of 10W30 on hand.

[Rich]

Miata
Is
Always
The
Answer

[Soup DeVille]

A 1967 Buick Sport Wagon.

Or a '67 Toronado

Or, an FJ-60 Land Cruiser

Or, a 1973 Porsche 911 RSR

Or, Corvette C8

Or, a BMW 635CSi...

[veeman]

I think the premise of the question posed is faulty: “ICE is all but dead in a few years”.

While the US govt and individual states have made pronouncements of the requirement of zero emission vehicles, pronouncements or laws such as these have a habit of getting severely watered down when the actual deadline becomes looming.  There is absolutely no infrastructure whatsoever to support 100% electric vehicles in the US for several decades.  All of these legislative actions for future requirements (i.e. in 2035 this must occur, in 2045 this must occur, etc etc) are meaningless if there is no infrastructure available to support it.  Given that public transportation in the U.S. in most places sucks, will in all likelihood continue to suck, and is not that cheap and given that the electric grid has proven time and time again it is not as robust in the U.S. as previously thought, ICE will be around for many many decades to come.   

With all that said if your faulty premise did indeed turn out to be true, the answer is always Ford F-150.

[SJ_GTI]

For me personally I already have that car (BMW Z3). I hope to keep it until either it or I am dead. And I spent way less than 50k. 

If I was looking at a new car I would almost certainly go Miata.

[MrH]

New 86/BRZ isn't a bad choice for new vehicles.  Simple, should be reliable, cheap to run, etc.

My S2000 isn't a bad choice either if you want something older.  997 911 or any GT3 is the perfect choice, but those are all well over $50k for a decent one.

[r0tor]

I've been looking at 997 Carrera S... They can be had under $50k, but not great examples so far

[Raza]

993 or 964, maybe even an older 911 like an SC.
Shelby GT350/GT350R (the best Mustang ever, in my opinion)
Mazda MX-5 (dealer’s choice for generation, whichever appeals to you the most)
BMW M3 E90 or earlier
Audi TT RS (1st gen, manual only model; I just love these)
Acura NSX (early 90s model…maybe? Don’t know what these cost now)

[Laconian]

I've been looking at 997 Carrera S... They can be had under $50k, but not great examples so far

IMO we're probably going to be seeing a lot of aftermarket support to keep these things running on the road.. probably best to go with an unoriginal choice instead of an obscure one, so that you maximize the chance of leveraging an enthusiastic community.

[FoMoJo]

993 or 964, maybe even an older 911 like an SC.
Shelby GT350/GT350R (the best Mustang ever, in my opinion)
Mazda MX-5 (dealer’s choice for generation, whichever appeals to you the most)
BMW M3 E90 or earlier
Audi TT RS (1st gen, manual only model; I just love these)
Acura NSX (early 90s model…maybe? Don’t know what these cost now)

That would be my choice, though I've always liked the style of a Porsche Boxter, especially the early models.

[CaminoRacer]

IMO we're probably going to be seeing a lot of aftermarket support to keep these things running on the road.. probably best to go with an unoriginal choice instead of an obscure one, so that you maximize the chance of leveraging an enthusiastic community.

Yup!

Look at current classic cars - the easiest cars the own and restore are Camaros, Mustangs, GM A-Bodies, some Mopars. Rarer cars require more time, patience, and money to get parts for.

[CALL_911]

I'm still very skeptical of the ICE leaving us anytime soon.

[r0tor]

IMO we're probably going to be seeing a lot of aftermarket support to keep these things running on the road.. probably best to go with an unoriginal choice instead of an obscure one, so that you maximize the chance of leveraging an enthusiastic community.

When I think of long term customer support, I think Porsche, Mercedes, and Mazda (?) all have some committed programs to restore their fleet... with Porsche even looking on how to fuel the fleet.  That's sort of key in my mind

[GoCougs]

I'm still very skeptical of the ICE leaving us anytime soon.

Not in the foreseeable future if left up to the market in any remotely meaningful way. Almost 10 years on since the debut of the Model S, and EVs are still far too expensive, still don't have equivalent range (for less than ~$100k), and are still not profitable for automakers.

[Morris Minor]

IMO we're probably going to be seeing a lot of aftermarket support to keep these things running on the road.. probably best to go with an unoriginal choice instead of an obscure one, so that you maximize the chance of leveraging an enthusiastic community.

This. I would go with an E46 3 Series with a manual transmission. M3 if I could find one that wasn't thrashed & trashed, but I'd settle for a 330i.
My granddaughter will be 20 in 2041. If I got a 2006, it would have gone on the road in 2005, therefore would be 36 years-old by then (I'd be 85.) Maybe consider a second identical one as a parts donor.


I think the early-mid-aughts the best era for electronic wizardry & control modules - there was enough of it to useful, but the basic driver control functions were still mechanical analog: direct-connection of driver to the car underneath.

(Great topic BTW r0tor)

[Rich]

With the way prices are going, not much will be left under $50k that's desirable.  90s/00s: Miatas, hot hatches, and pony cars?

[Eye of the Tiger]

XJ

[Soup DeVille]

Something very close to this (Actually closer to '68 would be better:

https://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/dealer/oldsmobile/vista-cruiser/2549144.html

Yes, newer cars have a lot going for them. Absolutely. But they are also very much post-peak cars. Not in capability, which is more than its ever been; but in many ways they've lessened when it comes to promise- as in "what did cars promise that made them so compelling?"