Hot Rods Passing a long time ride along

I sold my last one I built for house down-payment money as well. Also sold a boat I loved even more than the truck!

The good news is the guy that bought the truck carved it all up, put in modern ifs and a ls, so it's easy not to want it back.... Lol. He kept emailing me build pics for a sec, until I told him he could stop. No interest in seeing that. Put the damn 3 on the tree back in!

 

I sold my 51 Merc about 30 years ago at a time when I dearly needed the money the guy offered. I don't like his build style but he went clear though it and finished what I started and it has lived in a climate controlled garage ever since. I haven't seen it or heard of it being out and around for years though.

 

Now I can stop wondering where I'd put that 37, I was on the cusp of making you an offer several times on that one.

 

One of my thoughts on selling a car is, if they are offering fistfuls of money, take it. Comes the time you have to sell, you can't find anyone with two nickels to rub together.

 

1971BB427, I'm familiar with that "too nice to drive" predicament. My mild custom '60 T-bird was supposed to be just a Bellflower cruiser but when I got it back from paint and reassembled, (it was emerald green pearl) I found that while it was beautiful, it was a pain to keep clean, and I was paranoid that I would damage it while working in the garage.
Heading to a GG event at Bakersfield some a-hole in a pickup truck chucked a beer can out of the window and it hit dead-center on the apron in front of the hood where we painstakingly corrected some damage and misalignment. I almost sh!t a brick. When we got there, there was no damage. Whew. It actually won their "Slick '60s" award.
I don't know how guys can put so much work into custom cars and drive them on the street. Older hot rods can get away with a few scars but in my book, customs need to be shiny and perfect.
I sold it and my '27T on eBay and payed off the mortgage on my house so I could retire. I really haven't missed either one of them.

 

I bought my 33 5 window in 1957. Kept it till 2002 and let a relative take it to get it ready for a trip to the salt. He turned it into a trailer queen. I agonize over this every time I think about it. I would recommend that no one ever sell a car with a long time personal connection. I agonize about that stupid decision all the time. My wife and decedents can do what they want with my cars and projects but I wont be selling anything while I am alive and able to control things.

 

Too nice to enjoy is a head problem not a car problem. If you spent the same money on a 2023 would you feel the same way? I bet not. If you think a scratch is bad think of hitting a deer. I did with my cpe when it was only 5 yrs old, now 25 yrs old, damage was almost 15K. Put it back on the road and have driven all over the country since. Two trips to Ca., 3 to Fla and one out to Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. One trip was 8,000 mi in 4 weeks

 

I have bought and sold a lot of cars in time. Most were sold to finance something more expensive. I sorta move up the ladder a bit each time. Most that I sold I made a little money on, and the best money makers were project cars that I never touched, just put em in the barn cause "some day I'm gonna" , then 20 years later you make money. If you buy a bunch of parts for that someday car...you loose money. If I had kept them all...I would be rich you would think, but really early on I had very little storage and its best that some moved on instead of dying in my yard in my sight. I hate when I'm the guilty party of improper storage. I now have a 60x80 barn, and its full along with other smaller buildings, and its too much. I'm ready to downsize.

 

I've bought and sold all kinds of things over the years. The only things I regret selling are cars. Only so much money, only so much room.

 

Regarding nicely built cars and "too nice to drive", a friend recently told me, "If you've got a cool car and don't drive it, it's like having a hot girl friend and saving her for the next guy." I agree. As was pointed out, all new cars depreciate and we accept that. Also, you made it nice once, you can make it nice again down the road if you decide to keep it. You damn sure aren't going to take it with you. You're just keeping it for the next owner.

 

After 16 years of owning a 37 Ford Tudor I sold it to chase after a 40 coupe in 2013.
I see it every year I attend Nat’s north in Michigan. It still looks good and although the interior could use an update it’s now been on the road since ‘95. Good car,good memories but I’ve moved on.

 

i sold my '64 SS convertible because i HAD to have a '67 camaro. what a mistake that was. except for the lousy bucket seats, i loved that car!

 

owned this 37 coupe for around 34 years, but only drove it after building it for 4-5 years; sold it about 5 years ago, went to Denver, Co., don't miss it at all, even tho 37's are my favorite Chevy coupes.
anyone seen it lately?

 

You're right it is a head problem, and yes I'm like that with my new cars too, lol. Spent last night detailing trunk and door jams on my two new rides....

I drive my rusty busted up ot pickup for a daily, and for some reason have a garage full of awesome cars that I rarely drive....

 

I have a reoccurring dream of finding them all in a shop I forgot I own. The happy feeling is better than a wet dream. I think?

 

I have no rear view mirror.
I refuse to get emotionally attached to any part or vehicle.

 

How sad.

 

Had my 32 Henry cabriolet for 5-6 years—-flathead,5 spd,nine in Ford,coil overs,Halibrands. Put plenty street miles—-driven daily(south Texas winters are mild) ran 80 in 1/8 mile with “race” 3:89 locker. New owner lives in NewZealand.Missed the car a lot—then came across a 36 stone stocker and the “hot rod” progression began. 8 months later, I actually like the 36 better and better.Still a early Ford with Ford power—-gr8 fun,softer ride.

 

that's a great looking car

 

Sorry I just can't wrap my head around spending all that money and then see it just set. Reminds me of a couple of acquaintances who bought Vettes and rarely drive them because they might get dirty or heaven forbid a scratch or stone chip. I think one hasn't been out of the garage in at least 5 yrs but he's got it.

 

I have sold several over the years. Usually I'm just done with it or the offer is just too good to pass up. Have sold due to lack of space, found another more desirable, lost interest, etc. Really only one that I regret, my very first one. It's about 3 hours away and has been beautifully restored. It's not for sale. Yes, I've tried to get it back to no avail.

 

I bought, drove and sold a bunch of "old cars" in the 80's. mostly just original nice old cars. whitewalls and hubcaps. many with original paint. made a few bucks on one, lost a few bucks on the next. then I bought a 2 owner all original 61 Dodge Dart about 1988 or so. when it came time to sell it to buy the next one, it became apparent that I was the only person on the planet that thought that was a cool car. I still have it. it was my daily driver for a few years. 35 years is a long time to own a car. even though I can't remember the last time I drove it, I still could not sell it.

I also have the first car I ever bought, as does my brother. neither one has been driven for 40 years. must be some sort of genetic sickness.

the worst part about the cars I sold over the years is I sold them all for $1500 - $2500 and they are all worth $10,000 on up now.

 

That's the problem with being an old guy. You remember all that you sold when those 40's through 60's cars were just the normal everyday car and you were trading up

 

Bought whole cars then for less than some of the individual parts on them today would cost.

 

Yea back then we bought many a car for what now is considered nothing. I bought a running driving 40 Ford cpe with an 8BA for $125. A nice 3 yr old 61 V8 stick Impala convert for under $1500

 

I've never sold anything that I've had long term but the thought of walking out into my garage and not seeing it there would probably bother me. Not to mention the idea of seeing it going by on the road with another pilot behind the wheel. Almost every time I look in my local classic car section online somebody is always trying to track down a car they let get away and sometimes decades after they let it go. A friend of mine was able to get back his high school car back after losing it in a divorce deal over a decade ago. Then there are those guys who can't get their dream car and keep trading up what they got till they can get it with no regrets.

 

Thanks for all the responses guys. A lot of them are fascinating. I don’t feel like I’m the only one. Snowman ⛄️

 

A few years ago a similar posting was started. It brought back memories of the mid 60's and a friend that owned a really nice 57 Bel Air hardtop. He'd graduated with a Civil Engr degree and thought he should be more "adult like" so he sold the 57 and bought his mothers 64 Ford XL Galaxie. I hadn't seen him since that point in time.

That posting gave me the impetus to search for him and I found two listings in Colorado Springs for him. The first was a business number and it had been disconnected. The second number found a woman answering the phone. I asked for Bill, she wanted to know who was calling. I described how I knew him 50 years before and wondered if he regretted selling the 57. Her response was he regretted everything he ever sold, he had passed away six months before I regretted that I hadn't called him a year earlier.

My plans for the 38 is for the wife to sell it after my demise. The Studebaker??? I am ambivalent about selling it. The roadster I am building now?? Ask me in a year...assuming the wife hasn't sold the 38

 

I remember standing in the street watching one of my best friends, still, drive away in my first car. It was a '38 coupe my brother gave me when I was 14. There was the sound of a healthy flathead and a slight puff from the exhaust when he shifted. Perfect stance, big & littles, black reversed wheels beauty rings with baby moons. Black tuck & roll done in TJ. EVERY metal part inside was chrome the body was sound with original black paint and some primer spots. I looked at the $250 in my hand. I knew I'd made a mistake. I bought a near perfect '40 sedan delivery without an engine for $75. Stuck in a v8 60 someone gave me blew it up and sold it for $125. Those small amounts of money were hard to come by in the 60s. I sold a Morris Minor Traveler ( Woody) to buy a really nice one owner '49 Chevy Pickup for $250 and a few years later got $600 trade-in on a new '70 Blazer, $2,500 out the door. Still have that one. There were lots of others in the mix but mostly sold one to get one. I owned more than one at a time but only had more than one on the road a couple of times. There wasn't one I wouldn't like to have another shot at but I could not afford any of them.

 

I would actually really love to see some of the cars I sold get driven around, see how they turned out. I don't think that'd bother me at all, the couple of times I've had that happen I've actually been pretty excited to see them again. But that's probably because most of the stuff I sold was big projects I didn't think I'd ever get to.