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| photosource: roadkill.com "I can't sell that car to you, I'm gonna fix that up- Someday!" |
I've been pouring over the Net looking at all kinds of old cars. Looking for something that could grab my interest. I even find that I'm trying to convince myself that I want certain cars.
If you really wanted something, why would you have to convince yourself?
So many cars are out of consideration because they cost too much.
Others are out because at least to me, they're not worth the prices that are being asked.
I keep looking, hoping to stumble over something cheap and great.
Of course I can just sit right where I am.
It's been my experience that all the cars I've sold in the past have become much more valuable were I to repurchase them Today. Buy high, sell low? Not quite, more like buy low, sell low.
Old Sixties Cadillacs and Buick Rivieras. I bought my last Riv for 2,500 bucks and sold it for a couple of grand. Now when I see a junky one it's usually around four grand!
'70s Datsun Z cars. I sold my last Z about four years ago for 1,500 bucks. I now see really rough beaters selling for at least four thousand bucks.
I'll just bet that my XJS will climb out of affordability just as soon as I sell mine for peanuts.
My XJS runs well, it looks pretty good. It really just needs to have the front suspension rebuilt. I've resigned myself to the fact that if it is ever going to get done, I will just have to do that on my own. My car doesn't cost me anything to hold onto. I wouldn't get any real money for it if I were to sell it. Geez, I only paid 1,200 dollars for it! I've only put another grand or so into it at this point. I can safely store it in the garage while I decide what to do and wait to repair it. I can just put it on non op, suspend the insurance, and run it occasionally and keep the fluids circulated and the battery charge up. This is a good way to hedge my bets and is a sensible alternative.
I don't really want to let it go, though I can't say that I always feel like spending money or time working on it. At least at the moment. I can't even honestly say that I love the car. I like it enough, but the main thing is that it's really something special. It's probably going to be a prisoner in my garage for who knows how long. But it won't be deteriorating during that time.
I guess I'll become one of those crabby old men that have a cool car hidden in the garage.
When it comes to my '96 Mustang it has been cursed with the sin of being ordinary, but that is also it's saving grace.
I just put the top down, driving around on some errands, of course I took the longest route. My Wife and I even drove it down to Pismo Beach a while back.
It's a great car that always pleases.
I know that it's the "gutless" edition, blah, blah, blah... But who cares? I don't. It's fast enough, fun to drive, sounds great, and gets good gas mileage. It doesn't look as good as an early 70's Trans Am, but really, what does?
I'm at the stage where choices start to be difficult, but very critical. I'm at that point where I must decide whether or not to just hold onto something until it's a better time. This is a stage of just holding on. This is the stage that you read about in all those articles about survivor cars.
This can lead to a long periods of storage. Hopefully keeping everything well preserved.
Am I sick and tired of even looking at cars?
I'm beginning to think that I am.
Lately, I've been doing the CL" cruise."
I set the search parameters by model year only. 1949 to 1973.
The search will produce cars of all makes at all prices.
The idea is to see if anything grabs me. Results have not been encouraging.
I'm constantly on the Jaguar forums. It is depressing to hear posters talk about problems with their "newer" cars. I've considered moving up to a newer model, but those are not without their own issues. It appears that there is never a free ride on the Jaguar train.
I'v also considered more basic American cars.
After reading a series of posts on Curbside Classics about Corvettes. I started cruising through the Vette listings. They are out there, available at almost any price point.
After all this Mustang talk I've been searching for alternative Mustang solutions. I'd love a new model Mustang GT convertible with the new 5.0 engine. These cost money. More than I can comfortably spend on a hobby car.
It's not that I haven't indulged myself a bit over the years.
I've bought a variety of different type cars. My Wife is always cautious about me buying anything expensive. Unless it fits into the family car niche.
These are tighter financial times, but my problems are less than many others. So far, my family and myself are healthy and I'm thankful for that.You can't enjoy any type of car if you're in the hospital. Events of this type make you realize what is really important. Spending a lot of money on an old car isn't one of them. Although I'm trying to keep my life as "normal" as I can.
Being older also adds a different perspective.
Do I really need anything different? I haven't found anything that really lights a fire under me. I remember reading a column by Peter Egan where he admitted that at this point in life, his "automotive heart" couldn't be broken. There is not a car that he has, that cannot be replaced by something else, something as interesting, something different that might be cheaper and easier to acquire. The heat of passion has cooled.
Of course it's all about wants, not needs.
But do I even want anything?
A sporty convertible.
Don't I already have two? One, of which I can actually drive! The other I can keep as an artifact. Hey it runs, I can work on it and improve it over time. Best of all, I already own it. And it was cheap. I don't have a lot tied up in it.
A luxury SUV, don't I have one of those too?
I really like that new Lincoln Aviator, but I don't have an extra 50 grand laying around to spend on a new one. Then how about an older one? Sure, I see older Aviators and Navigators, for that matter, offered up at good prices. They are nice, but I already have an Explorer that I like. I can sit on that until I really need to replace it.
How about a real vintage car?
I wanted something that was "analog" and didn't rely on any electronics to run. No automatic transmission to fuss with. No electrical assists.
I think that I've got that covered, also.
My '51 Jag doesn't have many electrical doo- dads besides the electric fuel pumps. It is a cool looking, relatively rare car. The closest I'll ever get to having a classic Bentley or Rolls. I probably don't want to get any closer than this!
My Dad used to say that all motorcycles were the same- they all had two wheels!
That used to get me kind of mad, because I thought that he was being dismissive of my interests. But now I can really see his point! Maybe all cars are the same, they all have four wheels!
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