Folks Of Interest Build the dream, then sell it???

Ok, what is the deal with guys that spend years working on, building, refining and finishing a project, then turn around and sell it shortly after??? You can see this a lot in the postings and the classifieds.
I'm not talking about cars built as speculative to make a buck. But the ones that are advertised with " less than 500 miles since finished " "fresh paint" etc. And economic circumstances are a different thing.
Its like the reality didn't meet up to the dream.
Maybe they just got tired of looking at it, but damn, if I put that much effort into a build I'd want to enjoy it for a while.


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For some guys, the working on them is the journey...

 

Maybe that's why I never finish anything.....fear of selling!

 

Very true! Had a neighbor like that, mwver held on to anything once he finished it. He was a bank executive and building cars was how he relaxed.


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Kind of like antique DEALERS that call themselves collectors.

 

Amen.

 

Why do some couples live together for years, get married, two months later the relationship is over?

Projects are basically unsaleable. You can but a running and driving car is sometimes a 500 percent gain over.....bring trailer and a shovel.

 

Kinda like my o9ld pal Randy, he wanted a 3 window for years and found the right one, he spent a load of cash and several years to build his dream car only to realize it wasn't what he thought it would be, he was always a roadster guy and as nice as the car was it wasn't everything he thought it would be, fortunately a fellow hamber loved it and purchased it just before Randy passed away and his wife didn't have to deal with selling the car.HRP

 

I know quite a few guys who get little to no joy out of driving them. They love the "build", but really don't care to go to cruise-nights or car shows or even out for ice cream. It's kinda sad in a way because all of them build some very nice cars. They just get the enjoyment out of fabricating and problem solving more than anything else.

 

I don't know, but less than 500 Mikes is still a lot of Mikes!

 

Why play golf if you know you won't play in the PGA?

 

I know some of the golfer's wear stupid looking cloths but why wear Pajama's? HRP

 

If it was a real dream,life can through a bad ball at you,so sell. If it was a 1/2 baked dream,then it's not what they really wanted. A few only really want something to work on. Some build a cartoon,that drives badly,like over chop or sorry engineering ideas,so can't enjoy driving.
I've designed and built a lot of race cars , rods an customs,only one I kept was my first sweetheart I drove too high school,still drive on clear weekends. The others were fun too,but had there place in time.

 

I know one guy with a HAMB-friendly car, he does not like the finished product and rarely drives it. The car needs a little fine tuning more than anything. I drive mine all winter providing there is no salt on the roads. Which blows some minds.

Some guys who try to pass themselves off as car guys... that aren't car guys deep down. One I know, starts a project, gets stymied by something, next thing I know, the car is sold and he lost his shirt. Rinse, repeat. They may want to be KNOWN as a car guy.

I don't like car shows... too much of a waste of a nice Sunday for me. I'll do a cruise night. I think the "go out for ice cream" thing is an idiom. Especially if someone wants to eat ice cream in their car. My car, spill beer in it, on it, get a little blood on it now and then. It is far from a sacred cow. I have maybe $25k in it, I see nicer LOOKING cars with paint and interiors done for 1/2 of that. Most of my $$ is in the "go" and not the "show" part of it.

 

I like the building. The challenges, the creative juices, the "ah crap" moments. With me, when its done, its over...
move on to the next challenge.
Most of the cars that I have wanted, I have had but there are still fantasies that I haven't reached yet.

The only fantasy that is out of the question is Top Fuel Harley, so my wife says, and she has the clout.

 

About wanting a particular car then finding out it's not what you thought it would be happens a lot. It's kinda hard to go out and ask somebody "Hey, I want to have one of these but I don't know what they are really like. Mind if I drive yours to find out!" I have built enough cars to realize this. I had no idea about my roadster when I bought it if I would like it or not. Got it and then found out how cramped they are but I drove it stock for a few years and decided I could live with it and enjoy it. So, apart it came and A V8 it went. Have had it ever since. Do I want other cars, you bet! Now I am about to find out what a V8 Tudor does to/for me. One of my favorite body styles. Yes, I have had one that was stock and enjoyed it. Now to see what a V8 with many mods does for it!

 

Also, some of us have a lot of dream cars we want to build. I have dreamed about my roadster build for years, but I have also dreamed about a 33/34 3 window, a 40 coupe, a 57 Chevy sedan, an early Pickup and a '66 Mustang Fastback. No room to keep them all. You build it, you drive it, then you move on to the next dream.

Thanks,

--louis

 

I've got a friend who built a really nice car a year and would put the for sale sign on it mid season stating what date a buyer could take possession. He already was well into the next build by that time and guys tended to watch for the cars he built. Had a buddy in Texas who lost interest the minute a car was finished. For a lot the planning and building is the deal far more than the driving.

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That's me. My wife used to get pissed, now we agree to keep one finished car at all times. That minimizes the arguing.

 

Got a buddy that will get a car really close to being on the road, then starts on another car. Doesn't sell anything just starts on something else. Got at least three like that now. He does have one driver.

 

For me it's the parts collecting , mind's eye design and building that's the therapy. The end of a project justifies the planning and parts collecting for the next one. And like a lot of guys who enjoy the building , you are already thinking or already bought the next one.

 

To add , I simply do not have the room to hoard all my parts and have more than one project going. That's why I am going to build an all around shop truck to try to satisfy having vintage rolling tin and haul parts back from swap meets.

 

I used to sell the finished project to finance the next until one broke my heart.



Now I am just going to horde them.

-Abone.

 

If I had that car I would never sell....oh shiny. Fire Sale!

--louis

 

ive never had one finished, life always gets in the way. i committed to myself that id finish my 47 no matter what but ive done that before too... at 30 im still young and life has lacked stability. married with a 2 yr old has slowed me down a bit

 

I dreamed and planned this car for years, spent crazy hours and dollars chasing hard-to-find parts, and then built it with my dad. I can't fathom selling it for pennies on the dollar so someone else gets to enjoy it.

 

I love the build
The parts hunting is great
Building, fab etc.
But when it’s done I will drive the friggin wheels off it until the next one catches my eye.
I truly have automotive ADD.
I want to own 1 of everything.
But a 2 car garage in a residential subdivision and a family had me relegated to one at a time

Haha

Ummmmm, you sold that?!? I would take your car out to dinner, and pull the running out of gas routine on myself just so I could spend more time with it !!! It’s perfect !

 

I build with my wife. She's a 'natural', loves early Ford forgings as much as I do.
Like me, she tends to 'covet' our projects, says "There's plenty of the other stuff to sell..."
No roadsters/tubs/track cars for sale. Our children (all 9 of them) respect this.
Love to drive a roadster...but the traffic is stupid. Neophite drivers over-driving their 'Asian Bombs' then can't stop/steer without someone in danger.
We have many back roads, farm roads...Former highways before 99 went thru.
Nice roads to drive, last time we went for 3+ hours, '27 track roadster, 'Nose-Job'.
Otherwise, we stay home and build at our leisure. (Not like it was at the shop... LOL)

 

My first real hot rod was my avatar 31 chev used and abused by previous owner. So the car was originaly built by by my wifes brother before we were married. She had family pix from the old days before I new the family, one was of the coupe, so we started searching for the current owner. George her bro found some paperwork from the sale 15 earlier with vin and dates. Down to the DOT and payed 20 bucks for the history and current owner including address. Turned out 10 miles from us so we went with my then 48 f47,,,garage was ready to be crushed by a giant ole willow tree with the coupe in there and a big puddle of oil under the engine. Had not been moved in 4 5 years, so it took 4 visits and a 6 pac to seal the deal.