After a year of happy rumbling in a 1930 Model A Ford, Jonathan Klinger knew that his return to automotive modernity would be an adjustment.

He never cheated in his pledge to stick for a year with the Ford, except for the occasional business trip when he rented a car. On the first such occasion, last March at Jacksonville International Airport, he rented a 4-cylinder Chevrolet Malibu, whose performance he found overwhelming.

“That was the first time I’d been on the Interstate in quite some time and was in a car that is not normally thought of as a powerhouse,” Mr. Klinger said in an interview. “Yet it felt to me like I was driving an F1 car. If anything, my experience might make me appreciate newer cars, although they lack the character and personality that old cars have.”

Such brushes with modernity did not subtract from his attachment to the Model A Tudor sedan, bought last summer for $11,000, and in which he logged 16,000 miles since last fall. The blue car, with big running boards, smallish side windows and straw-yellow wheels has definitely grown on Mr. Klinger, who stored his 1993 Honda Accord and 1999 Ford Explorer before embarking on his attempt.

The idea for the yearlong endeavor, which officially ends Thursday, came about nearly two years ago during a discussion with his boss.

“I just thought that these cars need to be on the road, not just in museums and garages,” said Mr. Klinger, the public relations manager for Hagerty, a company based in Traverse City, Mich., that specializes in insuring collectors’ cars.

Mr. Klinger, who recently turned 30, always favored older cars, he said. He restored a 1919 Model T Ford pickup that came to him in parts and owns a 1941 Ford Super DeLuxe and a 1964 Buick Electra 225.

His blog, 365daysofa.com, averaged 20,000 monthly hits, he said, far exceeding expectations. “It was a neat combination of people telling stories, sharing memories or giving technical advice,” he said. “It turned into this whole community of people enjoying this nostalgic throwback.”

His posts candidly related the adventure’s highs and lows, including the one time he was 700 miles late lubricating distributor parts, which resulted in screeching noises, and when his “ah-hoogah” horn sounded like a “sick goose,” a condition that was remedied with a simple adjustment. He also recalled the day when a right rear tire was momentarily stuck during a snowstorm that dumped 18 inches, and the two occasions when he called a tow truck after the Model A fell victim to electrical gremlins, which were promptly worked out.

“Old cars do require more maintenance than newer cars, but there’s a saying that if you take care of it, it’ll take care of you,” he said. “You start neglecting it, it’ll let you know.”

Consequently, when he changed the oil every 1,000 miles, he also greased everything and performed a general inspection of critical systems, like the brakes. Over time, Mr. Klinger added new steering-wheel king pins, an anti-drag kit, an exhaust heater manifold and a new glass shifter knob, and repaired broken rear shock mounts.

Because the original engine, a 4-cyinder water-cooled power plant that made 40 horsepower, developed a cracked block, Mr. Klinger somewhat grudgingly replaced it with a short-block engine, cannibalizing parts from the old unit, like the water pump, when needed.

“I wanted to finish with all the original equipment, but what can you do,” he said.

A Mitchell overdrive was recently added as well, improving speed and fuel economy and adding another gear between two and three. “A lot of people asked me why I waited until the end,” he said. “Well, I wanted the car to be representative of what it would be like to drive it new 81 years ago, when overdrive wasn’t around.”

Aside from the 18-inch blizzard, Mr. Klinger said the weather did not significantly affect the Model A, which was slow to stop but tracked well in snow. The car immediately started one morning after a night in subzero temperatures.

“Most cars before 1955 had one-half the electrical voltage of today’s 12-volt systems,” he noted. “Because 12 volts crank up faster, people think I’ve converted. But I’ve proven that what I have is doable.”

Indeed, there were times during the summer when a slightly overwarmed engine would cause Mr. Klinger to reduce his high cruising speed of about 50 miles per hour to avoid radiator boil-overs. “The car never got that hot, but I sure did — no A.C. So, I wore a lot of T-shirts and carried plenty of water,” he said.

Mr. Klinger took a few long trips in the Model A, including a 270-mile trek in January from Traverse City to Detroit for the auto show there, returning the car to its birthplace. He also drove to Ludington, Mich., and crossed Lake Michigan on the venerable S.S. Badger steam ferry to Manitowac, Wisc.

Mr. Klinger’s admittedly emotional last-trip hurrah began on Oct. 2, as he set off for the 800-mile ride to Hershey, Penn., and its vaunted car show and auctions. He turned 30 during the events and was fêted during the festivities.

“Other than about 10 miles I took all back roads, just really the way a road trip should be done in an old car,” he said, adding that he eschewed fast-food restaurants en route for mom-and-pop lunch counters.

“The car performed flawlessly, not even a hiccup,” he said of the drive. “Of course, when it rains, the windshield is flat and I just have this little wiper, which I affectionately call a swiper, since it just kind of schmears the rain around. But the whole trip was so much fun.”

Pangs of guilt and wistfulness visited him while loading the car into a trailer for its Michigan return; he was scheduled to fly back. Mr. Klinger expects to discontinue blogging, but plans to drive the car until “the first salted roads.”

“This time last year, the weekend before I would start, I’d driven to a pal’s wedding in my Ford Explorer, cruise and climate set, listening to XM Radio and wondering what I’d gotten myself into,” he said.

“And now, I’d do it all over again. In a heartbeat.”