So harms way put up a thread on the utilitarian hot rod and it got me thinking... I'm selling my ride. I'm proud of it but not in love with it. I have a killer deal on a shop and a 34 ford truck... Time to build something I really want. So I stopped by my folks house and my neighbor was out front. This guy was a young father when I met him and my car mentor. He taught me a lot and let me wire wheel the trunk in his nova 14 years ago. I was just a punk in the 6th grade... So I told him about my plans for the sale and he told me not to and I know why. That nova I talked about is still in his garage. Painted and almost road worthy but life got in the way and it still sits there unfinished. He told me he needs the money and is going to sell it. Lastly he advised me to borrow the money for the next project and not give up my driver to build a project. So is having a driver and a car to really tweak out on as a project the best way to do it? One to satisfy each urge in our passion that draws us to cars? Or am I delusional... Posted from the TJJ App for iPhone & iPad
Depends on how often you drive it and wether the funds would get to new ride done faster... I know my projects always go four times slower than planned... Best of luck!
Is the '34 a year or two from being on the road? Can you live that long driving a stock (fill in the blank) vehicle?
I have two special cars, I bought my '41 Pickup as an all original truck when the opportunity presented itself while my '34 Sedan was all blown apart for a major rebuild. The '34 was buried in a 22 month rebuild and I was 'Jonesin' ' for a piece that I could ride til the '34 was back on the road. Now I'm blessed to have two great rides neither of which I ever plan to sell. I read a couple years ago that the average NSRA member (not necessarily meant to hold as any 'standard') owns an average of 2.2 cars. My philosophy has been.....once the cars is in my shop....it doesn't eat much so I hold on to 'em.
That would also depend on your individual financial situation. if you sell this one and only have the project, what will you do daily?
I personally have found out that owning two special cars is good, but three are too much. I'm not in that autiomobile business, so this works for me. For someone more involved, this probably wouldn't apply.
I once was without an old ride on the road for about a year and I felt like I was walking around bare naked without a fig leaf, I hope I won't find myself in that situation ever again.
That is a question only you can answer. You say you "aren't in love" with your present car, does the 34 turn you on more ? Can you be without a running, driving car for the year or two or three it will take to build a new one ? I've gone as long as 6 years without a running car and I got through it fine, but I tend to like building them more than driving them, so the journey is the most fun for me. Don't misunderstand, I LOVE driving my cars when they are done but I have to have one under construction too or I get very bored. Don
3? If I ever got down to owning 3 hot rods.... I'd wonder where the heck I had gone wrong. BUT, most of my friends would say I have a "sickness".
I have a bad habit of collecting projects that I do not have the ability to finish myself. But Im good at some things, so I pay others to do the stuff I cant, but invariably my cars arent actually on the road and running well. My kids have missed out on driving them to their school balls and the like, and in hindsight, it would have been far more sensible for me to buy finished cars and just drive the wheels off them. Im a member of an active hot rod club, and those with cars/trucks on the road have the most fun
I guess you can have to many, look at my signature, ha ha. But i have got rid of some ,just can't let these go. The 73 i got this year. The 35 i got in 1999 . The 56 i got in 1985 . The 64 i got in 1964 .
I have 4, only 1 runs and drives but is not usable yet. Too many? Not really. I had 6 at the start of this year but I woke up. 2 Packards gone, 1 left. I'd even sell my last Packard for the right number. Well, maybe. I don't see me finishing it for at least 4yrs. 2 of the 4 are relative "quickies" to finish up, the others are major undertakings. I'm settled in to what I want to do these days. Are you? That's the question you're holding the only answer to. But remember, this affliction has a tendancy to mutate without notice. The "Gotta-Have-It"s are a bitch...
I agree with keeping your ride, but don't agree with "take out a loan" for the other. In my opinion (just mine) cash is the way to go. No money owed, no worries. I've seen guys take out loans for a project, hit hard times and end up losing them all. If everything is paid for, hard times hit, just shut the door and come back when times are better. Just my thoughts.
I wish I would have kept my truck to drive while I'm building the model a. It's been 2 years now without one to drive and I miss it. I figured I would spend the money from the truck on the model a. Some did go to it, maybe 30% of it. The rest I ended up spending on home improvment stuff and other things. Now I am back to cash flowing another car when I could have done it all along.
I had a few cars in the past that I thought I wasn't in love with and visions of a cool new project clouded my thinking. I would sell my hot rod buy the project and in doing so all of a sudden,the daily driver would need repairs,the kids would need braces,taxes would come due,etc,etc. What I'm driving at,,I went almost 3 years without a hot rod. The new projects are nice but being able to turn that switch and go for a ride will really keep the spirits up. HRP
Back when I was messing with 4x4 trucks, I learned you have to have two vehicles. Something relaible and efficient to get you to work and something else as a toy. ...so that when your toy breaks, you can still get to work. I no longer mess with off-road stuff, but still believe in transportation and a toy being two different things.
i have two hot rods and building number three, both are drivers, also have a f150 pickup and a honda, not planning on building anymore but would really like a 27 t roadster, mine are not for sell, something that i put my blood, sweat and tears into are part of me can't let them go
Debt sucks don't get a loan, it adds up and after years you got a mountain of it. I have 3 projects, 2 started out as daily drivers, and then I started modifying them and now they sit unfinished in the garage. I now drive a saturn as daily because there is not a thing I can do to make it cool. Plus it is cheap, good gas miileage, and easy to fix. HAVING to fix a broken car is no fun. Working on a car is fun. You can take a break from a project, but not from your transportation.
Before I met my wife I would always sell one car to finance the next. After we had been married a while and I had a '55 Chevy about half finished I made ready to sell my '65 Chevy pickup daily driver to finish financing the '55. Her response has guided my hot rod activities ever since... "Keep the '65 and work on the '55 when you have the money and time...it'll get done soon enough." That's what I did. I sold both those eventually, but only because I found myself with too many hot rods and not enough room. The '65 after 20 years, the '55 after 10. I have 4 old cars/trucks now...A '51 Chevy pickup (daily driver)' '30 A sedan, '36 pickup (wife's truck), and a '31 A roadster....3 are finished and the 4th will be on the road by next summer. I have fun in all of them These aren't high dollar show quality cars, but they're not shiters either... All were done out of pocket...no debt.. Patience is a virtue
Borrowing money for projects, toys, and girlfriends, is never a good idea. They all end up costing more money than you borrow and they can let you down at any time leaving you with a load of debt and nothing to play with.
All I would add is don't borrow to buy a project, or to build a project. I just don't see anything positive in not funding a project up front.
A good way to let the car own you.....I would never borrow money for a project. That would be no fun at all.
I think you answered your own question when you wrote, "I'm selling my ride. I'm proud of it but not in love with it. I have a killer deal on a shop and a 34 ford truck... Time to build something I really want." But don't go in debt no matter what you decide.
Early on I a bought a "driver" to keep me inspired while fixing my 65. I ended up spending too much time repairing and upgrading the driver, with the project geteing no love. If you feel you need 2, have 2. If not sell the one you are not attached too.
The tough part is finishing a project without getting a new one. I will have my pickup for spring 2013 and it will come up for sale after the 34 coupe is done. That will be the last one sold. I do not ever plan on getting through them all and being without a driver really sucks. None of mine will ever be special to anyone but me. ( The "Gotta-Have-It"s are a bitch...) because I can find them all day long.<!-- / message --><!-- sig --> __________________ but me and I also have
My first car, a '32 Ford 3 window, took me 3 years to complete. Since then, I've always had two cars, so if one is down for whatever, I still have something to drive. Plus, if I sell one, I still have a back up driver.
My ratty nasty (I didn't say or mean the Rat Thing) 59 Ford Panel truck I drive to work started to make some noise last week and yesterday it got real loud and I now know it is the trans going,, shit. So now I will 'have' to drive my 40 Ford Pickup, that I bought in 1986. And once I get the motor in Chick's 50 Chev Ute finished it will be a a driver. Then when I have the extra time(?) I will get the 'new' 63 comet on the road. Am I showing off here,, nope. I love old cars and they break down, but I would rather work on my old cars then being forced to drop off something new I don't understand at a Dealer for a ' lube job'. So is 8 too many? Maybe so, but I bought them cheap, I enjoy all of them including the non running ones and one day they will be gone just before I am.
If I had the room I'd have two. Not having a driver SUCKS! Perfect world I'd have a driver and one builder (if not more) at all times...
I agree, i just sold my fully restored 69 Roadrunner. I had over 32k in it and was glad to recover 26k in these times. It needed alot more love and cash to bring it to the next level, I.E disc brakes, steering box, cooling etc. So I found a really good home for it and now not only do I have the room, I have more money to do other stuff. I actually put cars on hold to remodel a long overdue Kitchen. Now my late brothers 68 Firebird is my new toy with the 400 4 speed while I build a 428 . My son is daily driving my Olds for awhile. 2 are way easier but the real madness behind leaving a 3rd opening is when I get the call to go get a really cool 52 Chevy panel truck I've had my eye on for awhile. I also have a 95 Buick Roadmaster that my other son drives and a 2000 Ford PU thats in the body shop. The main thing I DON'T have is car payments so thats how I keep the others going.
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