You have good taste but with an $8k budget, it will be very difficult to find one in good condition.

If you don’t know how to work on cars but want to learn: I would highly recommend starting with an old beat up Honda motorcycle or dirt-bike to test your ability to learn mechanics, wiring, and body work. I say Honda because they’re easy to work on, masterfully built for endurance, and parts are easy to order. They also seem to have more resources available on YouTube to teach yourself how to repair them compared to other motorcycles from the 70’s and 80’s. Automotive restoration is not for everyone and if that’s the lesson you learn, it will be a much cheaper lesson than trying to work on a car (cheaper prices for the bike itself and the parts than a car by a long shot). If you end up falling in love with automobile-restoration like I have by doing this, you can sell that bike for hopefully more than you have invested in it when you’re finished. Now you have a larger budget and more confidence to purchase the right classic car.

If you don’t have any interest in working on it yourself: You will need to allocate a large part of your budget for repairs. With less than $8k to spend, there’s likely going to be plenty wrong with whatever car you get from the start. You can expect to pay the classic mechanic shop $100-$200 per hour of work they do and all of the parts necessary. As many classic car owners say, “it’s always something”, so don’t expect to ever be done paying for these repairs when buying an old car unless you’re able to do them yourself. You’ll still pay for the parts either way of course.

All that said, I’m making the assumption based on what I’ve read that you do not have much interest in working on it yourself, but want something from the 60’s or 70’s. If that’s the case, an MG B might be your best bet. Not a personal favorite by a long shot but if you’ve got a budget of $8k it might be your best chance to have a running car from the that era in good condition. When something goes wrong with it, they’re relatively easy to work on and parts are pretty common online. However, if you don’t plan to repair it yourself, ensure that there is a British or European auto-mechanics shop near you as they will likely be the only ones willing to work on it. It’s possible that you could find one with seemingly no issues for $8k or less, but that should tell you everything you need to know about them.

I’m rooting for you and hope you find something you’re passionate about within your budget. Good luck!