Having a show-quality, classic Chevy is a blast, but only driving it to a car show once or twice a year is not enough. Even an occasional weekend drive doesn’t give a classic Chevrolet the road time they really need. These cars want nothing more than to be out of the garage and rolling over blacktop. They were built to be driven every day, and since that is the case, we decided to come up with our picks of three of the best vintage Chevys to turn into a daily driver.
1965 Chevy Nova
The 1965 Chevy Nova is an ideal classic commuter. They are great, reliable cars that look good, perform well, and are reasonably economic from a miles-per-gallon standpoint. A good looking car, the low profile look of a ’65 Nova will receive the recognition it deserves from the right crowd without being too flashy while on the job. In short, it is the ideal daily driver for someone itching to commute in a dependable classic. Also, if you stuff a “big” engine under the hood, your fuel mileage might suffer, but the guy you see everyday driving that new Mustang can be taught a lesson about real horsepower.
1957 Chevy 210
The fins on the ‘57 Chevy are a little flashier than the subtle lines on the Nova, but the look of this iconic classic is hard to beat. Fuel mileage might not be the best and the stock performance is decent, but the real draw is the pricing and availability of parts. With a plethora of aftermarket equipment available, the 1957 Chevy 210 could be one of the least-expensive classic cars to keep in good running order. When the time comes to change a water pump, instrument component, or rearend, you won’t have to go further than any parts catalog to find everything you might need to make repairs and upgrades.
1970 Chevy C10 Pickup
If your daily driver also needs to be a workhorse, this is definitely a working man’s vehicle. The 1970 Chevy C10 pickup is a perfect daily driver for anyone with a load to haul or a trailer to tow. When fitted with the reliable 350 cubic-inch small-block engine and decade’s worth of compatible parts, this workhorse is nearly unstoppable. It looks good, gets the job done, and prices of a fixer-upper are somewhat respectable. We’ve talked to people that have bought a running C10 pickup for less than $4,000. They might not be show stoppers, but they manage to get the job done. These trucks have stood the test of time, and that makes them a true contender as a daily driver in our book.