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Micah asked: “I wanted to get your opinion on if I were to buy a classic vehicle, like a 60s model Mustang, but re-do all the electronics in it so it has an electronic dash, touchscreen radio, power windows and seats, etc. A lot of people say it ruins the car, but I figure if you’re gonna drive something, you might as well enjoy it. Just wondered what you guys thought about it.”
Well, it’s going to be your car, if you want to do it, knock yourself out.
It will probably be a pretty big project though. A car from the 60s won’t be wired for all the modern electronics you want to put in, so you will probably have to strip it bare and put a good deal of work into modifying just about everything to get it to do what you want. You will also probably need a stronger battery and alternator to keep up with the extra electronics.
If the project itself is part of the appeal to you, you’re probably in for some fun, as for the modifications themselves, it’s easy to see how they take some of the charm away from driving a classic car, but again, it’s going to be your car, you do whatever makes you happy with it.
If the project itself is part of the appeal to you, you’re probably in for some fun
There is no shortage of electronics you can add to your car from entertainment upgrades, to radar detectors, to automation devices like Automatic if you manage to somehow get an ODB port installed, so make a plan, buy devices that interest you and have fun!
All of this assumes, of course, that you are buying your classic car to drive and enjoy yourself, as opposed to buying it as an investment. Doing what’s called a “resto-mod,” where you modernize a classic car so it has the look of a classic car with modern driving elements or cabin technology is popular, but it will clearly lower the value of the car to collectors.
So in the end it really comes down to why you bought the car, for fun or as an investment, and how much work you want to undertake.