I think the question posed in the thread title can only be answered once "better" is defined, and even then, that answer will only be relevant to the person giving it. I'm 43 years old and have never put my hands on a carburetor in a vehicle, only the one I pulled off my old lawnmower to clean out the jets. If I ever end up with an old muscle car or old pre-fuel injected truck as a project, it will most likely end up fuel injected.


I do not disagree with anything stated above, I am just at the point in my life where I am the opposite. I do not have kids, so I have no one to leave anything to, and I realized quite some time ago that I like spending money (traveling and on hobbies), and I cannot sit idle, so I will likely work well past retirement age. I am more than capable of fixing nearly any issue with a vehicle (modern or older), and when I had my mustang as a second "toy" vehicle, I absolutely loved working on it and tinkering with it. My problem is, I want to tinker and work on it because I WANT to, not because I HAVE to in order to be able to get to work. Many many moons ago, I came to the realization that I would very likely have a car payment until the day I die, or the day I lose my job and run out of money, whichever happens first. Its not out of necessity, I don't have that burning desire to show off a shiny new(er) vehicle, I just don't want to get in it every day hoping today isn't the day it leaves me on the side of the road. When I was first starting out on my own, I had a couple of of those because that's all I could afford. They left me stranded several times. It was out of necessity that I learned to troubleshoot, work on and fix vehicles, and that same necessity led me to the mindset that as long as I can afford not to be in that position again, I won't. Of course, there is always the chance that a brand new straight off the lot vehicle can break down, but those chances are far less than an older vehicle. I guess I've been lucky because since I started buying newer vehicles ('04 F150 was my first actual new vehicle), I've not experienced any quality issues with any of them up to and including my current 2018.

As a second, fun vehicle that gets driven to work occasionally and tinkered with, absolutely it needs to be older than what would realistically be my kid's age if I had one, and preferably older than me, lol. When the Mrs and I get tired of living the downtown city apartment life, and decide to buy/build our last home, one deal breaker for me is a garage big enough for a few vehicles plus work space, tall enough for a lift, and climate controlled. Then I want to get an older RCSB truck of some flavor (I do like the boxy older F150s a lot) and build it to my liking (lowered the right way on a good suspension and fast). If it's a stick, even better. If it's not a manual when I buy it, I might just make it one.

 

only on dry roads where you might hit the occasional bit of sand or water. If 2 or more wheels are off pavement, it's one of the most dangerous things out there. I've rolled right through intersections in snow because the ABS pushed back so hard that I had zero braking power. Without ABS I'd lock up all 4 wheels and dig down and maybe catch some traction.

 

It's the original 223 with a few mods. If there is no salt on the road what to drive is a no brainer,

 

Older is “cooler” and has a nostalgia about it for sure. And yeah it’s easier to work on.

but for actual performance, features, comfort, and efficiency new is better by all metrics.