I can't blame you either. My '68 Chevy was my only mode of transportation from February 2005 to January of this year when my stepdad gave me his '03 Envoy. It pained me to admit it but I felt so relieved when I could finally park the truck. The '68 served through my remaining years of high school, all but one semester of my five years in college and logged many miles in Atlanta traffic, and while, as you describe, I got a lot of satisfaction out of being that badass that drives his old ride everyday, the exact same stresses were just killing me and the enjoyment of my truck. Being in school and leading a lifestyle where I was constantly on the run, constantly low on money and never had a good place to work on anything were really tough to deal with having my old truck. It was never parked inside (hence why it's covered in hail dings and the paint is chipping off) and I had to pay to have a lot of work done on it by someone else just because I didn't have the time or resources to do it myself. The feeling of "Shit! Shit! Shit! It's midnight and this thing is dead and I gotta have it by 8 am!" got really old. I'm working in South Carolina for the summer and I've put well over 1,000 miles on my Envoy in the past two weeks. Driving all of that with A/C and just the peace of mind has been absolutely invaluable for me.
Do what my dad did before my mom started driving a few years ago and they had to get something new so my mom wouldnt drive any of my dads cars... Get into orphan cars (Studebaker for us). Give you that old car driving experience, cheap enough to own enough that you can drive a different one each day of the week haha.
I think it's wise to have a backup car. Even if you do drive the old car everyday (and can thus still claim your badass credit), it takes the strain of having to sort it in a jiffy if needs must. Besides, if you're driving a plastic car no-one notices you anyway! I drive my '67 Fiat Spider everyday, and have a 10-yr old BMW parked up front gathering dust. It only gets used on family trips (wife runs a diseasel station wagon that I hate and refuse to be seen in, let alone drive), but it's there if I need it or can't be bothered to get the Fiat out of the garage (still no remote gate opening motors installed, so everything is done by hand) if it's a short trip to the shops. My daily commute is quite easy and mostly light traffic conditions, as I live in a small countryside town. If I lived in a big metropolis I might think twice about using my car as carelessly as I do, but thankfully I don't have that sort of conditions to deal with... which is why even the Deuce will occasionally get to do my commute when it gets done. I hate garage queens, and I love driving old cars. Since well before I got my driver's license I've always had and wanted old cars. My most modern car ever was built in '78. I don't count the BMW as mine, it's even titled to my wife. All my cars are pre-'80. The thing is, I respect the BMW immensely... but I don't love it. It has been a faithful driver, not one fault in over 5 years now, but I only see it as an appliance. It's just a computer. A brilliantly well-made computer, but no match for the fun of the old stuff. Which is why it is the closest to a garage (driveway?) queen there is around here, while the Italian iron does up to 8,000 miles a year. Don't feel bad about it... now you have a punchbag to take to war when the need arises! Cheers, Eddie
I'm still going to "hang in there", anything else is (for me) unacceptable. Although it aint always easy, it's always cool.
Well, I'm not sure that congrats or sending a sympathy card are in order so we will wait and see but the choice that you picked is pretty interesting. My "gas mileage" daily is sitting out in front of the garage waiting for me to pull the transaxle out of it while I end up driving the 71 3/4 ton to work 23 miles every day. Adding in running to lunch that makes about 50 miles a day x 4 days a week @10mpg x3.80 and that is eating into all of the kitties be they hotrod, boat or vacation. I can well agree with not wanting to drive the older daily into Austin on a regular trip though as the traffic as the I 35 traffic through Austin is some of the worse I have had to drive in and I was in a new Ford Focus rental car at the time. But I have driven the 48 in the yard in -10 weather, thrown a couple of tarps over it and stuck two 500W halogens under it and changed the clutch so I could drive it to work the next morning. That would be harder than hell to do with the GEO sitting out in the driveway now.
When I bougth my 59 Fury, the seller told me" when you get in this old car from your late model you will appreciate it, and when you go back you'll appreciate the late model." He was right. There's a time for both.
I know the same feeling Ryan....all the "little things" can start to wear you out and suck the fun out of it. I just bought a new truck a few weeks ago. Ya it took a big chunk out of the old car fund....but it's nice to have something super reliable to drag the car around and hunt for parts.
Ten, eleven years ago, I'm 29 now, I was one of those that said would never own a "new" vehicle. I was using my 55 f-100 3-4 times a week, and taking my dad's 65 belvedere to school. Then my 55 was parked for repair and ended up more "street rod". My dad sold the belvedere. I got married and had kids and now my driver is a '07 Chevy Z71 4 door. Even if I were single and without kids, Laredo just plain sucks for traffic. The offcial population is 250,000. With all the 18 wheelers and people from across the border its more like 325,000 on streets designed for a city of about 100,000. Alot of uninsured, underaged, and just plain stupid drivers roam about.
Ryan, can't blame you one bit. I've been driving my 1965 Buick Sport Wagon for about the last six years rain or shine in So Cal. I started with a clean and rust free car. I went dependable and simple on the drive train. 383 sbc, turbo 350 trans and a brand new 12 bolt posi with 3:42 gears. Disc brakes up front, rebuilt suspension, new giant aluminum radiator and a lot of other new stuff. My commute is about 20 miles one way and I'm lucky enough to take the side streets and occasionally the freeways. The stress and worry gets to you. I am constantly looking for my "out" to pull into on the side of the road in case I can't stop the car in time or I start to loose power or just anything. My big thing is smells. What's that smell? Is it the piece of crap car in front of me or is it me? Is that a burning smell or a sweet smell like radiator fluid? I am also always checking my brake lights and turn signals. I want to make sure they are working because they are not nearly as bright as any new car. I also hate borrowing my wife's new car for long road trips for work or leaving the new car at the air port parking lot. Sometimes I wouldn't mind driving something I just didn't care about at all. But then there are the times that everything is running right and all is good with the world. It's a beautiful day, the birds are signing and I'm cruising with all the windows down (even the back one!). Come to a red light and you can hear the exhaust bumping and burping as the sounds bounce off all the new cars that don't even sound like they are running. Some women roll up their windows because of the noise while old guys give you the thumbs up and say they had one of those when they where kids. Green light, you give it some gas and take off out of the hole decent and wait for second gear to scratch some rubber as you coast to the next red light and do it all over again on your commute. Sean
I'm so jealous...any of my flathead cars... Life happens and practicality sets in. My beloved built red mustang convertible from high school moved over for a Honda to make the long trips to design school. Traded my plush bachelor mobile for twelve tear old purple mini van with nearly 300k miles for a few years while putting my wife through college and grad school. New job newlywed his and hers BMWs gone when the first house was more important. 1975 no sunroof Porsche 911 rolling chassis track car project gone for baby number one...... Boat gone for baby number two. No car for several years as I opted for a company provided free ride. I'm very fortunate my company car keeps the miles off my jeep. When our house sells we'll get something with some room for an old hot rod project...I'll get half way through and probably sell for baby number three. Until then I salivate over you guys and phrases like "all my flathead cars!"
You have little kids to worry about and get around safely. Nuff said. You don't need to rationalize or explain anything beyond that. Most of us in the same situation know the deal.
Ryan... Irronic story; Recently I was speaking with some other Dripping Springs based Classic Car owners who were dead set against exposing thier vehicles to the rigors of I35 and the city stop and go traffic in Austin and Travis county in general. The stress and axiety of being in this morass each day is pretty telling and I can say from experience it is just about the same as the 1990s Freeway traffic I drove everyday in Southern California. Today it is folks who feel texting defines thier lives and they are willing to risk it, texting in traffic. Then it was flying down I15 headed to the 10 with the same type of driver affixing makeup or other acting afool excersizes. Hope you get the treatments needed and your blood pressure is good to boot. Thanks for the share.
I was wondering what it compares too.....well the 90's led to 2000's and a butt load more people. I don't know, the smells, sounds, feel really don't phase me I know it'll make it and I can fix it later. My g/f has a newer car since I took here Bel Air off the road for "a little work", we drive it sometimes to go out but it's not the same. I don't have kids, wear a watch or have a cell phone and my back up car is even older then my daily........ the one thing I do worry about is theft now after hearing all the stories, when we do go up to downtown LA we take her car (unless I'm cruising).
A/C, Power Steering, and other ammenities have thier place. I do know that little smirk though. Get it every time I start the T and the old 348 gently rocks the car as it idles in the drive. Of course then it turns into a full on grin when it chirps the tires hitting second. Think I'll drive it to theoffice this morning. Sometimes we need complicated shit to make us appreciate simplicity when we find it.
Ryan I wish you luck with that German car,they could not pay me enough to take one due to the expense of maintaining one. I like my cars nice and simple and the Germans cant do that,every part is over engineered and the designers must be smoking some good weed. I have only worked on the interiors and installed convertible tops on them and way too much thinking on the design part when something nice and simple would work just fine,the American cars are getting that way too so old vehicles for me untill I get to the age when I cant work on them and maybe a late model then..
Ah, maturity. Changes your perspective a bit, huh? If you have young kids, just wait. If you do that right, your perspective will continue to change
I am SICK of newer cars myself. Had this talk with a pal last night. He has two SUVs that are less than 10 years old with new engines installed. Even the newer cars cost ya time and money to use regularly. Our newest car is a lemon and a half and parked. Had shit going wrong since it was new. I gotta get a few things back together on the 54 so I have a RELIABLE backup!
What Tman said^^^^ Newer vehicles suck. In the process of changing the Y-pipe and cat on my 96 Ford pickup. Ford discontinued this part and it is not available thru the part stores. Had to modify a 95 pipe in order to get it to work. It's easier to get parts for my 49 coupe than it is for this truck.
I drove a '65 Corvair as a daily driver in the early 90's for 4 years, 32 mile round trip to work... It killed a perfectly good old car, that would still be going today if i didn't have to do half ass repairs on weekends to get it to go for 5 more days.
I dont see what there is to worry about driving an old car, parts are plentiful, easy to fix and more reliable than a modern car, ryan sounds like me driving a new car
I bought a newer car too...a brand new HHR panel and I find myself STILL driving it like an old car...checking lights and turn signals in the store windows, pumping the brakes, watching 3 cars ahead to give myself plenty of stopping time, following 3 seconds behind the guy in front of me...gotta stay in practice for the day my 34 FINALLY hits the streets!
There's a reason I keep a modern around, I just bought yet another new (to me) old car to rebuild... and, well, as much as I was planning on buying a cleanish 56 Lincoln to use as a daily I have decided to also keep the modern (Still gonna get a 56 lincoln tho!). My daily is an 07 Lexus GS350 AWD. I hate the car, it sucks. It does 60 in 6 seconds if that, gets 27 on the highway, is unreal in the snow, but it's always giving me stupid electrical problems, it rattles and it has the soul of a potato. But the realities of sending people out to get lunch, parking on the street, driving to NY Yankees games, road salt in the winter and the like.. well, I just couldn't do that to a car that I respect. I don't respect the Lexus. It still has mud on it from the Spring Englishtown swap meet. It's nothing more than an appliance. It simply does not make me happy, but it serves a purpose. To me, driving one of my cars that I love to work is fine, but not parking it in the South Bronx, or on salt covered roads, or in the Shop-Rite parking lot. I suppose that my Lexus is a "sacrificial Anode" of sorts.
My daily driver is a 65 F100. I'll admit I've done a few half-ass repairs. And the truck has left me stranded a couple of times (thankfully at my house). But then I paid 600 dollars to it, put on 14,000 miles in less than 11 months over rough roads, through flooded streets, and salty garbage crap roads the entire winter. Prior to my buying it the truck hadn't been on the road in 10 years and it had a ton of crap rust repair done that is absolutely awful. I've put about 150 bucks into it total (that is including oil changes). It is now getting to the point where I'll either have to do some major tear down or I'll wind up hoofing it. The noise in the motor is a little louder than it was 14k ago, half the lights don't work right, no exhaust, and a real annoying tendency to overheat going over 50 mph. I did buy another car, it was more than my usual 400-600 price range but I couldn't pass it up. It is a 36,000 mile car that has been always stored inside, great interior, little rust, and hardly anything in the way of mechanical problems. It's a 4 door 58 Plymouth Savoy, trouble is it is so nice I hate to beat it up driving it every day. So I devised a plan, fix the truck right as a reliable back up, and fix up my no value rusted out clunker 53 Willys for a winter beater. I've thought about what sort of late model car I'd buy. Probably would be a 600 dollar car with the same issues. When you're poor the difference in reliability between a 600 dollar 60s beater and a 600 dollar 90s beater isn't that great. They both will break down, the only question is which one is more fun to work on when it does.
Man, sorry to hear this. If you would have tried a bit longer you may have gotten over the stress part of it. I actually feel a little stressed now if I ride with someone in a late model car.
Sometimes you gotta do what ya gotta do. My daily is a 61 GMH, no ac no overdrive or any other mod cons and my backup is my A roadster. The roadster did an eight month stint as a daily and that was fun. As for the other half her car is the late model don't think about driving anywhere deal. Having said that today were one day in on a 2000 plus mile round trip in the 61 model for the FB EK nationals. Four hours of pouring rain is still not a fun deterrent and the kids are having a ball. Mind you I have spent the last month ensuring all is as right as it can be.
Good for you dude. You need a "regular" car for today's demands on life. I'm still building but I get to play with old shit all the time. I'm currently pushing the owner of the latest Packard to drive the snot out of it. What happened when it was new? It got driven. "Well what if I get the fender chipped or a scratch or...", "Hey man, that's what the airbrush is for." Plus you gotta sort it out. We're over 200 miles so far. Now the hardcore will say "THAT'S ALL!??" Well yeah, it snows up here. Driving a bunch doesn't mean being disrespectful to it. In the end, I'm with you Ryan. I love old cars. I'm lucky that I get to play with so many different versions daily. You'd ban me for using too much space if I posted everything I drove here n there!
The Jalopy Journal
