Which one to buy?

Well, I drove my '67 Valiant V100 home from Seattle to Edmonton on the weekend. I had some minor teething trouble with the new cooling system but got that sorted out in the first couple of hundred miles.

To be honest, this is a dreary car, almost without any appealing character. The 225 engine is smooth but only just adequate. It's reasonably economical, although I haven't run the numbers yet. The driving position is good - I didn't have any permanent aches after two solid days on the road.

Man, this car is noisy. There is almost no sound insulating value to a quarter-inch of underlay and a rubber mat. Windows up or down made very little difference to the racket, although opening the under-dash vent doors does push a lot of air through the cabin.

Filling 'er up attracts some attention at the gas stations. Young people. especially, ask how old it is and if I bought it new (I was 13 years old in 1967). Most folks still remember Plymouths but only us boomers remember Valiants.

I'm enjoying the vintage experience of 3-on-the-tree but the previous owner admitted that's chiefly why he sold the car - he was sick of shifting for himself. Power steering would be nice, not because the manual steering is so stiff, but rather because the number of revolutions of the wheel required to park the car would be reduced.

Plain Jane describes this Valiant perfectly. Not sure if I'm going to have a long-term relationship with her, though.