TeamEvil wrote:
"The true "danger" of the Corvair, is the spin, not the rollover."
True for any tail heavy car of that era, Fiat, NSU, VW, Renault, Porsche, et al, and none of them were nearly as low or flat as the Corvair.
You could however find a lot more of the lighter, shorter wheelbase cars with rollover damage. Over the years I have heard stories from people about them rolling their Fiats and Renaults. Most of those cars were top heavy as well. Supposedly Beetles will roll easily, but I've never met a person who has rolled one.
In reply to aircooled:
While the T5 was a cool idea, I've never liked the execution because of the need to cut open the car.
Also, I can't wait to see what my '68 runs at RPM wise. I've got the 3.89 out of an FC. 
FWIW, my first car was a '63 'Vair, 102/4 speed with the 3.08 diff. My dad was a gas mileage fanatic and ordered the 3.08, and I got the '63 when I went to grad school and he bought a new '68. Very nice highway car (averaged 28 mpg between Rochester, NY and Flagstaff, AZ when I went west to school), handled nicely (I even ran my first 3 autocrosses in it - no big deal inside the car, people told me it looked like the end of the world from the outside. Oversteer actually helps a lot on a tight course when your steering is 5 turns lock-to-lock. Acceleration? What acceleration? The car was quiet, but slow. Still one of the most reliable cars I've owned in 48 years.
The Falcons are pretty much the nuclear surviving cockroach of a car. My best friends mom had the Comet equivalent and that thing would not die.
I have a 61 vair w/ the powerglide, so you know where my vote is.. Although, a friend had a 63 falcon for a while and it was a neat car too.. So maybe I'm not much help..
Know what?? You already have a bunch of love into the corvair, and it is the only first car you'll ever have.. Stick with it, make it run and drive, build and engine later. But don't drive it in the snow.. Trust me.
Corvair.
I've owned a Mustang (gussied up Falcon) and even with a 289 and a 3 speed manual, the only thing that car was good for was roasting tires. It handled like crap, rode like crap, and sucked gas. The only redeeming quality it had was resale: I sold it for 2 or 3 thousand more than I paid for it after owning it for 2 years.
By contrast, the '64 Corvair Convertible has become a long-term member of my old car fleet. It rides wonderfully, the steering is light and direct, and even though the 4 speed shifter takes some patience, the ratios are nicely spaced and fun to use. It has probably 1/2 the power of the 'Stang, but unlike the Ford, you can actually use all that power when the wheel is something other than straight. Part availability is good; the community is generally fantastic, too. I can get mid 20's for fuel economy, which is good enough that I never hesitate to drive it. And, frankly, I think the Corvair's better looking than the Mustang, and waaaay more than a homely Falcon. But that's personal taste.
The only American compact I've owned that rivals the Corvair is a Dodge Dart. I sold all my Darts, but I might buy another someday. I will never buy another compact '60s Ford.
No snow? Vairs are awesome in the snow, except when it packs in the heatless front wheel wells to the point that you can't turn. If you drive one in the snow keep a big, long screwdriver handy for digging out snow. VW Beetle owners also know about this. Back in the day I drove mine through powder snow that was over the headlights more than once with regular tires without a problem. But today, you should keep one in the garage all winter to save it from the other idiots on the road, and from any sort of salt.
In reply to TeamEvil:Yes most of the butt heavy cars of the 60's including the Porsche, VW, etc. would spin pretty easily. However when you arrive at the scene of your accident in most of them you're already going backwards so the seat back gives you support & you're not impaled by the steering post. The engine is now in front of you to slow the penetration problems down, & the gas tank is behind you and far away from the impact of the wreck. Even "GM is all evil" Nader shouldn't argue with the safety of that combination!
