To all the cars I've loved before,
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| Sorry Julio, but your song just seemed to fit. |
That no matter what, will never grace my drive once more!
Peter Egan once wrote a very personal column about how hard it was for him to sell each of his cars.
Of course in Peter's case he would have completely rebuilt and restored the car before returning it to the wild.
Good for him, I don't know how many people would put all that work into a particular car just to sell it. But of course everybody does.
Holding onto a favorite car for a long time is pretty cool, and quite an achievement, primarily because it's such a rare occurrence that it's worth remarking on.
Egan told his Wife that it was hard to sell one of his cars because he thought that it was so beautiful. To which she rationally replied,"It will still be beautiful, but now someone else will be enjoying it."
Makes sense.
He said one of his buddies once told him that unless he would go out and buy the exact same car after he received a big insurance check were it totaled or stolen, then you were ready to move on.
That makes sense too.
I haven't had much success trying to divest myself of some of my fleet.
I've tried to sell my '96 Mustang, '89 Jaguar XJS, as well as my '97 XJ6. No luck with any of them, I only successfully got rid of my Explorer because I had to scrap it!
This post is not about selling and replacing a car, it's about revisiting an automotive relationship.
In other words, would I ever go back and buy a car similar to one that I used to own? Nostalgia makes me think that I would. Experience makes me think that I wouldn't.
My first car wasn't really what I wanted, though it was a '66 Mustang coupe with a 289 V8 and a four speed! Not a bad car, and it's one that a lot of nostalgic car guys think that they'd like to own. In fact, an acquaintance of mine currently owns a very nice example. It fits in with the cars that his club brothers have and is welcome at their activities. That's nice. Even though I think that it's his first Classic Mustang.
Would I take the leap for a '64 Cadillac? I'd like to think that I might, that's the first car that I wanted and actually bought. There was a string of Cadillacs, that followed: a '70 coupe, '57 hardtop sedan, then an almost new '77 Coupe. Years later that was joined in my memory by my '94 Seville STS, another almost new car. Then I finally bought my '56 hardtop SDV that I had wanted for years.
I'm glad that I bought each of those cars, I enjoyed owning and driving them. Would I buy a '77 Coupe de Ville because it would remind me of some of the best years of my life? Maybe, it has the greatest emotional attraction of my former cars, but....Probably not. Sometimes I think that I'd like an '89 CDV because it was the last of the series, though it isn't even that good looking. I've even considered a 2000 era DeVille as I sometimes think that I'd like to own another Cadillac. But the Cadillac pales in comparison to my XJ6, it just doesn't seem that special.
I went through a string of Buick Rivieras, a very nice '71, then a few not so nice '66 and '67 models. My first '66 was my driver for several years. I did enjoy my Rivs, I once considered a late 90's "Fish face" Riv. I even went and test drove one. It was nothing special, and the interior was just cheap looking, even when compared to my former Cadillacs. Though I would still like to own a '63 -'65 model.
I also had a few early Datsun Z cars. A real nice '77 2+2 with a five speed, and a '92 300 ZX T Top, N/A, five speed that was pearl white. It was a real beauty. I even had a '72 Z and a first year turbo. The Turbo was really a parts car, and I guess I could even include my Son's '75 Z. I really liked the Zs and thought that I'd stick with them. Then I got rid of my Riv and decided that I really wanted a convertible. The only factory Z convert was the '92, the one with the roll bar hoop, it didn't look that good, and it was expensive, so I decided to go with the Mustang.
To get back on topic, would I seriously consider a 60's Cadillac, Riviera, Mustang or other car? The quick answer is no. How about another old car like an old T Bird, early 50's Caddy coupe, Lincoln Mark V or even a Mark VII or Mark VIII?
I went and test drove a Mark VII and it felt pretty nice, but even with the 5.0 motor it wasn't going to be as quick as my '96 4.6 GT, so what would be the point? No way I'd really consider a Mark IV or V, just too big and baroque. And those things suck up gas.
There are even some European cars that I had wanted, the Mercedes SL or SEC Coupe, and the BMW 635 Coupes. I got the chance to test drive a kind of doggy SEC, I liked the size but eh, nothing that I really wanted to spend my money on.
I think that the time for these types of cars is past, for me at least. I don't want to say been there done that, but maybe I have.
Especially now that these cars don't sell for chump change. Even cars that need a lot of rebuilding are selling for a lot of money. I'm not going to pay the price of a used late model Ford Mustang GT convertible to drive some fifty year old car.
I suppose that a more modern retro style car like a 2005-09 Mustang, Chrysler 300, T Bird redux, or maybe even a Flex?
Well I actually went out and got a Flex, that's what I really wanted, and I like it, and am enjoying putting the miles down.
What I really miss is driving a long, low, sleek cruiser, that's what my Rivs were. Wait, don't I already have a long, sleek, low car, my XJ6? Yes, I do. I just got it back on the road, and while I was driving it around with a Brian Setzer CD playing, I thought, "why can't I cruise in this?" It's not an old De Ville, Buick, or even an Impala, but it's beautiful, cool, and I love driving it. The truth is, I'd rather drive it than an old Caddy, Buick or Impala.
Therein lies the crux of the situation.
I don't really want another old timey car, I just have to be willing to admit that to myself!
And to be willing accept that as truth! I'll probably never again own a car that would be welcome in a Pepe Marquez video!
I need to free myself from that notion and just move on.
I have come to some conclusions.
It is true that I have become tired of looking at cars.
Last week I took the XJS out for it's monthly jog. I gradually realized how good that thing looks, with it's red color, looking too hot to touch, and the smell (?) of the interior and the smooth whooosh as the car accelerates
I slowly came to another realization, why am I even trying to sell this car?
No one seems to want it.
I still like it.
I won't get any real money for it.
It's tucked safely away in my garage.
To hell with everyone, I'm just gonna keep it!
This was built upon my decision to hold onto my Mustang convertible.
There's certainly no reason to rush in trying to replace it.
I just drove it to a swap meet up in Alameda. It was all cleaned and shined up, the top was down, and I even put the tonneau cover on. It ran like a champ and was one of the few convertibles that I saw that day with the top down.
A few days later I was looking at an old copy of Rod and Custom magazine. it was a Mercury special produced when Pat Ganahl was editor. Two stories in the mag really hit home.
One was about a lucky guy that owned two '32 Fords and a custom chopped Merc. It took him fifteen years to acquire those three cars.
The second was about the Hirohata Merc. A high school kid had bought it off of the back row of a used car lot in 1959. He'd managed to hold onto the car for forty years! He fixed the motor and drove it through high school, his early married years, and until the kids started to come along. Then he parked it in a garage to wait for his circumstances to improve in time and finances. It took quite awhile until the time was right. A great part of those forty years it sat forgotten in his garage. Well, probably not to him! As his life moved on, the car was mothballed and waiting.
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| It looks bad but there's my XJS buried temporarily under some empty cartons. |
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| photo source: hotrod.com Could it turn into this situation? |
I've had gotten only a little interest in my XJ6, I was going to sell it cheap if it wouldn't pass smog. Now that it has, and it's registered, maybe that doesn't seem like such a good idea!
For the most part, I've decided to stand down.
I'm just going to keep what I've got. I've got enough to keep me busy with my newer cars and I've got my Flex to drive anywhere the need and desire takes. My situation is actually looking better and better.
I'm thinking that maybe I'll just let every car scenario play itself out. I'll see how things go with each of my cars, even the Mark VII Jag. There's enough there to keep me busy for the next ten years, at least. After that, I think that my old cars years will be behind me, and I'll buy something new that won't require any hassles.
I just need to buckle down and get to work.
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