Hot Rods Old age dilemma!!!!!

Maybe a more satisfying way to look at it would be that you just gave someone the same feeling you had when obtained the piece. And you got paid to do it.

 

A lawyers main job is to turn s*#t pink and make it smell good. That said, a good lawyer is in the feces prevention business.

 

What are makes and models of your 10 vehicles that you may want to get rid of someday? BTW, I'm local (Madison)...

 

Happened to my family

 

I was lucky. My aunt left me $75K in stocks instead of her '58 Ford (It was a moredoor anyway) . Still paying dividends and account value has grown over 25%. Don't know what's going to happen to my 2 old cars and tons of built models and kits. What the hell, I'm only 73 so I still have plenty of time to figure it out.

 

My wife told me the solution she has planned when I go:
Funeral @ 10:00
Auction @ 2:00
Party @ 6:00
I have a lot of stuff, some cash and hopefully a bunch of time left. I am starting to cut down on buying, selling off some stuff. You can't take cars or parts with you. I've already measured out how much cash I can stuff in the coffin. Everything else hopefully I'll enjoy and get rid of before hand. Hopefully it's a short auction !

 

Granddad said he went to a funeral years ago where as the progression of people passed the coffin people tossed money into it. He said the last guy gathered up all the cash, wrote a check and dropped it in.

 

It's a common dilemma with all of us and friends as the clock is winding down. I believe everyone needs to do what fits their situation, It seems most times, I hear the kids are just interested in the cash. I/WE plan on spending MY/OUR money as I/WE earned it, we helped the kids when young/needed it, NOW they are on their own and very proud to say, they are all successful, seem happy, but have different hobbies than I do. The concept of wife/I doing without so the kids inherit more cash does not make any sense to me or wife, we are, and planning to continue to enjoy our time left. Like many stated they are are doing, I'm in the process of selling off a lifetime of my passions as my thoughts have changed on what most of the "Stuff" means to me, I will always have the memories, but looking to make new memories. We're all different and I understand the concept having "Stuff" Food for thought, I have seen this scenario too many times, a car enthusiast passes, now the vultures circle, swoop in and buy up everything for pennies on the dollar as the wife/kids don't want to deal with it AND most times the wife spends it on her next boyfriend anyway, which is OK with me as my wife can do as she wants, our time together has been great. For us Seniors Life is short, the clock is ticking, Live, Love, Enjoy Life

 

I too, have wondered about options and now at 73, well, everything is heavier. Never had the $$ or steady job (self-employed) to complete a project, so started by giving my son one car and then slowly selling off the prized pieces. The Ardun went, the 40 pickup, gone, the real pain was the real steel, old Santa Ana 32 roadster, the 27 roaster, gone... last to go was a a Culver City Halibrand and still more stuff in piles here and there. It is amazing what 40-50 years of collecting does to one. More stuff, need another building, and on and on. Now I think I realize it was really the thrill of the search, the perpetuation of the dream which kept things going. Not that the dream is gone. The desire now is a bit more focussed. I was lucky to have a son who wanted something.
Now the dilemma is my hot rod library. I hated mags that got torn up in the mail so always picked the best copy off the news stand, then read once and stacked neatly. In the process, found back issues to complete "sets". Now, no one wants them either.
Since you don't have kids, logistically, your situation is different, but our aging reality is the same.

 

We did something Saturday. A couple years ago. We had bought a bargain house at The State tax forfet sale. Really unbelievable low price. outside it looks pretty good. Inside it needed work on floors & plumbing to make it liveable. A complete Remodel would make it really nice. Our youngest Son Was planning on fixing it up and living there. We where just going to deed it to him no strings attached. However His wife became sick. She now has stage 4 Cancer. So he moved to Mammoth springs so she could be near her folks. He dont want it any more. So we listed the House & lot on Facebook Market place at a unbelievable low price that still allowed us to make a fair profit. And we got 150 responses with the usual will you sell on payments or trade for stuff or take less ect. Its kinda like our old project vehicles and stuff. Those who want it don't have the money & those who got the money wouldn't have it. LOL And we did sell it in less than ten hours. But who bought it is what makes us happy. A 23 year old single girl. She dreamed of owning her own home. So she was living in (Her words) a crappy camper doing without saving as much as she could wanting to get a down payment. And Lo & Behold she has enough to pay cash for her own house Free and clear. She gave a earnest money deposit. And she don't work Wednesday so we will complete the sale & record the deed . Selling it saves us $300 a year on taxes. And now we don't have to worry about a house 40 miles away. She will not have to pay taxes if she lives there because She will qualify for the $350.00 homestead exemption. Its great to help young folks who are trying. Picture is my wife standing in the door when we first bought it.

 

Went to an estate auction for a Model A guy a few weeks ago. He had a like 30x60 metal building full of things all neatly arranged on shelves, must have dabbled in an El Camino as had some 348 stuff too.

Some parts brought close to retail, but at the end of the day we were buying by the shelf for $5-$25. At least one bidder was a scrap guy. I got a set of heads sitting on a Harbor Freight furniture dolly, with the dolly, for less than they sell those for at the store.

Not the first time, either, I remember maybe 10 years ago same auctioneer did a guy's garage and collection and he had maybe 30 cars there most of which sold for under $100. '58 T-bird convertible, rough, $25. Complete buildable '48 Pontiac fastback, $95. The '72 Cutlass with no doors but a factory 4-speed did bring $350.

I would say choose what you want to work on and sell the rest now to someone who appreciates it, even if it's a reseller. Most other people are stupid and will throw away money not even knowing it.

 

You have to think three-dimensionally on this one.

Be the scrap dealer. Be the junk cleanout guy. Or have a friend become one.

Don't remark on any of the stuff, just tell them you will have a crew come clean it all out for a reasonable rate.

Then haul it all someplace you can sort it out and to hell with them. Let the smart relative come have his pick after it's all hauled out.

 

Sometimes life events we have no control over. and even reading threads like this can cause you to look at things from a different perspective. There is a old saying a Wise Man can always change his mind; A Fool never does. Our Daughter in Laws stage 4 Cancer is one of those life events. We have the 4 grandchildren here. ages 6 months , Two .Three and Four. They have been her for ten days. And its challenging. Ive been selling stuff on the facebook market place that we don't use or need
& pricing it to sell. Got the grandkids piggybanks and on the small stuff half the proceeds go into their banks.

 

I think whatever you want to do with the stuff, or whoever you want to have it it would be wise to find out exactly what you have and document it somehow.
It may help in finding out what you really want to keep and how much you really have.
And if you should somehow not be around later, it will help those left behind a lot to know what is worth keeping, what is worth throwing away, and what can be sold.
Most people today can't tell a 50's tractor grill that was made in the thousands from some prewar Luxurycar grill that was handmade to fit one of 8 cars.
Even if it's something most of us hate thinking about , one day our stuff will no longer be ours, and if some of those things we loved can end up with an enthusiast who will cherish it, rather than to be melted into a box on nails on a shelf at Home Depot. (or in some cases, vice versa).

 

Those tractor grills sell for good money sometimes a few hundred.

 

My granddaughter lives 2K miles away and she plays cars and motorcycles with her fiancé now. When I go she'll get my tools and what have you.

I have been giving things to younger rodders or selling stuff cheap. I gave a '57 Chevy rear end housing to a guy yesterday, gave the axles away two years ago or 3. I don't need it and he guy will use it, I'll never miss it. I may actually be building my last full build now and am using up everything that I can on it and what is left will get dealt out to whomever as needed.

My problem is that I remember when I was young and a pair of wheels or a carb was a huge investment ( kind of like it is now actually) so if I have a part that a young guy needs and I can get it to him for a token payment or free I just do it.

 

A few yrs ago I realized I wasn't going to use all the shit I collected. Piles of Hurst shifters, 4 speeds, stick flywheels, Holley carbs, metalflake wheels, etc. I bought all this over the course of a very long time and was all bought cheap. But, as I got closer to retirement I figured I wasn't going to use this stuff on projects as I had in the past. So, I just started selling it all except for maybe 1 or 2 of each. ZERO regrets as this happened around 3 or so yrs ago and regret woulda set in by now. Not to mention it paid prop tax on 2 homes and my then income tax.

 

I had quite a collection of 55 and 56 ford two door sedans and parts for them . And I sold them all except a 55 wagon. Also sold a OT Z28 Camaro & some other OT stuff so we could pay cash for the two acres and built on house trailer that joined the acre our store building sets on. Never regretted those sales.

 

I'm 20. I'll be your son! Haha. I know what you mean though. I know a lot of locals that have awesome stuff that the kids don't give a crap about. Ends up being a nice collection being sold and spread across the country


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Good on you, you're a good man, I feel the same way about helping someone that's trying, to get started, I call it pay back, some call it paying it forward, point being this young women you sold to will remember you and your gesture forever, down the road and in her time , she will maybe help someone. If more people helped one another our world would be a better place. You are the winner of an official "AttaBoy !"

 

I told her whatever she spends fixing it up will make it worth more. And if she ever decides to sell the house she should be able to make a profit.

 

As a guy who has had to deal with three family deaths, you begin to understand this......it's only valuable stuff to you, not anyone else. Seriously, my shop is full of great shit, but when I croak my kids will be overwhelmed by the sheer amount of stuff they have to deal with whether they want to keep it or not, some stuff they'll have no idea what the hell it is, never mind what it's worth.
When you die, most of your "stuff" becomes worthless junk to those who have their own junk, and don't need any more. Find someone young who needs the stuff to build their own cars with, mentor them if you can, or help them get started with the use of your valuable but no longer needed shit.
My kids want my cars and tools, but there is still too much for them to save, so make use of what you can while you can.

 

Sell all but one, ride around in it and bang it up, turning our head around when we back up gets to be an issue around 70/75 years old and that is the dominant age group here on the HAMB. Ride around and bang it up. Thought of a couple more things today, 1) don't give anything to people who don't know who "Jimmy Reed" is or 2) what a "Tenor Sax" is.

 

At 53 (two years ago) my father pulled me aside to ask if I wanted his cars (had 4 pre-41 Fords) in a few years if he could no longer drive. I was and still am thrilled - yes of course I did. I’m happy to wait until he’s gotten his last mile of enjoyment from them but a funny thing happened. Once he knew I was interested he seems to have been energized and he’s gone out to get a few more. Ha


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I have talked to my kids and they don't care about the older stuff I have.....they both love old VW's so I am thinking...so they have something to remember me by is to go find a couple of old air-cooled VW's...my son had a 1970's super beetle back in the day and my daughter has always wanted to have a yellow beetle....so I am thinking one for each of them...as far as hanging onto stuff....I don't...I buy...I rebuild...I will drive it 3 or 4 times and we sell them for a loss of course......story of my life...I don't honestly like driving them...once they run on their own I am ready to move onto another make and model...I think my ADHD has something to do with it too...
My 2 cents...
MikeC

 

After reading this thread,it all boiles down to its different for each individual, as their situation is unique. What happen to one person doesn’t mean it’s going to happen in your situation.
My 80 plus vehiles and four barns full of “ stuff” will go to my only son,as will my ranch and the one third of my parents ranch when the time comes. More than likely that stuff will sit right where it sits now when my son owns it. Lol
Bottom line.... do what YOU want to! Not what others tell you.

Bones

 

To sum it up this thread should have been titled "Age old dilemma". There is nothing new out there.

 

When you die, most of your "stuff" becomes worthless junk to those who have their own junk, and don't need any more. ---- I can relate. My fathers farm had a sizeable hoard of stuff that he treasured. One old house was full of things he was gonna fix. over 200 chainsaws. jars and jars full of nails screws bolts ect. He was a carpenter had had piles of lumber that he was gonna build something out of. Lived into his middle 90,s. And he spent the last Ten years of his life in a wheelchair. Yet he still treasured his stuff. And I am quite the hoarder myself. However I had received all the old vehicle & tractor related stuff I was interested in decades ago. So when his estate was probated. They sold the hoard with the property. And very little of it was anything I really wanted. And it all went to scrap. Yes indeed it have enough of my own stuff and certainly didn't need his.

 

Enjoy it while you can. Find someone you can trust and put them in your will to liquidate your stash when you can no longer enjoy it. Give them a cut for their troubles and donate the rest of the proceeds to the charity of your choice. Much better than an unknowing person coming along and dumping it in the trash bin!

 

At 67 I'm thinking about having my own swap meet and old cars sale right here, make up some flyers and see what I can get rid of and give the rest of it to HAMB members!