i've been without a driver for the first time in YEARS. granted my wife and i each have a late model to get around in, but thats not the point. i sold everything and bought a 49 fleetline project that i was gonna build exactly the way i wanted it from the ground up. it sat in my driveway with out me so much as opening the doors for months. i realized i need a driver. so i sold the chevy and bought a 48 plymouth. its a running driving car that needs restyling. i'm gonna get this knocked out and keep driving it. if i want a project, then i'll get one, but i cant be without a driver. its different for me. i work on other peoples cars all week for a living. at the end of my day, i'm really not all that interested in playing cars every night any more than i feel like remodeling my kitchen on my own. the driver project is my bag. i realized that i dont have time, energy or patience for full builds. i've sold 10 projects like that already and i get the most enjoyment out of my drivers. the cycle i'd like to get into is to get one car to a point that i'm content with as a driver and then buy another that needs little work to get going. then fix that one up and start rotating them. this way i always have a driver and a light project.
Hey, if you have the funds, energy, space, and time owning as many cars/projects as you want is fine. But as already stated, borrowing to buy a project is a really bad idea. My cardinal rule is if I can not buy it outright and want it bad enough I'll sell some of the others until I am able to pay cash. And if it sells first, no big deal, currently there are plenty of cool projects around to choose from.
Deto, if I knew your age it would help assessing what advice I would give - on the basis of multiple experience of been there, done that. As an old guy I am on the 'time is running out' syndrome which says, get rid of anything you cannot finish. I have lived without a driver and survived. I have been excited and gung ho about a new dream, a new vision where the adrenaline kicks in and the excitement level is high. I have and have had rides that mean nothing emotionally and can go to a new home if the price is right with zero remorse and zero regrets. Much of this was an itch I couldn't scratch until I got it and satisfied it. Now it is a "been there, done that, yeah I had one of those" - been through the ownership experience and today it is - well, blah.... I have other stuff - projects or rides that still give me good vibes me every time I look at them - but again if somebody waves enough money at me they can too can go to a new home. And then there is the special stuff - the cars or projects that will have to be surgically removed from me. The ones that after a couple of decades of ownership still fill me with the same thrill and excitement that they first did. The ones that would pain me to lose - would feel like losing a part of me. In your position I would suggest that you try and look beyond the initial euphoria of a new project, ask yourself what you really want and ask yourself if you are ready to maybe sacrifice a few shows to get what you really want and be sure that it is going to be a keeper. There will always be cars to build - not just this one '34, but to me it sounds as if it boils down to 'build or drive?' - your call. But if you are young enough I would go for the build and move the driver on because I can go to shows without being a participant and live vicariously until my dream is complete....
To me there is a huge difference between the number of "rides" and the number of "projects". I'm not sure you can have too many rides. As for me right now I have too many projects and no rides. ('31 A coupe, '41 sedan delivery, '78 beetle, and a '66 El Camino) It seems daunting a times. That said I don't plan to dump any of them. I'll muddle through somehow. If it were me, I'd keep the driver. Right now I am missing out on too many old car gigs 'cause my PT Cruise just don't cut it.
Keep it, get the 34 pu and get it built. The way I see it is work harder to get the toys you want. I'm not a into selling one thing to buy another. Keep it man.
Im 37 and have two. My truck is my driver and I will give it to my son some day, the 54 while it is not my dream car I do like it alot. Having two it is hard to stay focused sometimes but I have managed so far. I like the idea of knowing that when I do start driving the 54 I can do all the stuff to the truck with my boy later on. I couldnt Imagine not having a driver. One thing I would not do though is get a loan for a project car. The writing is on the wall at that point, I have seen too many projects get lost in the wind due to that. If you have space and can pick it up I would do it and then you can take your time and get it to the first shakedown stage and decide if you wanna keep goin then or sell the other to complete it or........keep em both!
Also in full disclosure I am inheriting my Dad's 68 chevy. While not HAMB friendly, its still something old and cool to cruise. I also have my lady's 54 Mercury, which has developed a rod knock, and it will be the first thing I rehab when I get the money. I already have a driver lined up, even though it's not HAMB friendly, and a little project I can start on right away. am I just being a complainer?
If you are not just rolling in money and need to work, but are serious about cars as a passion/hobby, then I think you need to have at least 2 cars. One as your daily driver... a reliable way to get to work, and one as your project... to feed your passion. Having a daily driver enables you to take as long as you need, to get your project just right. As the project becomes reliable, you can drive it more and or have your cars trade spots when repairs and maintenance need to be done on your primary daily.
You might be a bit of a complainer. Don't sweat that because we all get saturated now and then. I SHOULD complain. I do this shit for a living and suffer the barefoot shoemaker syndrome. So busy earning that my shit takes a back seat, then when I do find a moment or 2 it never seems enough to satisfy. I've had moments of "sell it all and quit" more than a few times...then I wake up. At least you don't have to hear smack talk from the likes of our dear HRLC about not having a finished car!
Reverse the numbers and you still don't get to my age. Given that information and in the light of my years of mistakes and hopefully learning from them, I would be inclined to let the DD go and follow your passion - you have time on your side - I don't. But I must have got something right as my keepers are going to have to be surgically removed from me. I still get the same sense of excitement every time I see them as I did before I acquired them. Love at first sight and that love endures. If that is your feeling about the '34 PU - GFI - Go For It....
Thanks weasel. My plans are in a holding pattern right now. The buyer backed out of buying my car and the property manager is giving the unit to a guy who had first right of refusal. Oh well!
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