Better Beaters - Building Cars and Daily Drivers

 Stuff.

This is the Rolex model that most are familiar with. 

All of those things that clutter up our lives. The older we get, the more we have accumulated.

Some of these things are necessary, and they're things that most other people have. Things that help us to live our lives. 

Things that we need; a car, a house and all the furnishings.

Things that we have wanted for a long time and finally got.  I would say that my "06 Mustang GT falls into that category.

Things that we want, but still haven't gotten ...yet. These are things that I used to dream about, like a big house with a big shop out in the country. Or the Aston Martin DB7 that I still find myself daydreaming about. 

Things that we will probably never get. Like the house in the country and the Aston Martin!

Things that we should probably never get. Funny how both the house in the country and the Aston Martin also fall into that category! 

I have just finished watching a video on "Real Men Real Style," Antonio Centenio's menswear and lifestyle channel.

The question posed in this video concerned whether or not the ownership of an expensive, 28,000.00 Rolex  watch, will bring the owner happiness. Antonio opines on his experience with his Rolex. (actually one, of his Rolexs!) 

I found this video kind of odd, because it appears that Antonio is showing off a bit, which I found unusual. He bought his watch for a bit over 11,000 dollars some time ago, to celebrate his company's first million dollar year. He told us that it's current value as a used watch is 28,00.00, pretty impressive, from an investment standard alone. 

Antonio sez:
"Dare to be the best dressed Man in the room!"

I'm not one to play the hater game, and I actually admire Antonio for what he's accomplished, and certainly don't begrudge him his financial success.  A Rolex, or any high priced watch, is certainly something that exists outside the orbit of my experience. Which is really as it should be. My Father would would have described it as something that is not appropriate for someone of our circumstances. 

Sometimes we can stretch and make a concerted effort to attain something that we really want. For most of us regular folk, that is how we manage to buy our house. Saving, scrimping, putting in the overtime, or working that extra job on the side. Selling off a motorcycle, car, or boat or anything that we had wanted at one time. Accumulating that down payment. This is probably the most rewarding thing that you can accomplish, as it provides a family home as well as the basis for an improved financial future. 

Sometimes later, we will be at a point where we may be able to afford one additional luxury item. Upgrading and renovating our house, or maybe a bigger, fancier, house, college for our kids, travel and vacation experiences, or maybe a special car or boat. I've always thought that wealthy people don't have to limit themselves to just one choice, they can have it all, and usually at a higher level than we can imagine. I suppose that's what it really means to be wealthy! 

Does merely owning something expensive bring happiness? Is it merely because it is expensive? Or is it because it is something that is of higher quality, performs better, is highly sought after, or is more exclusive? 

Is what it means to you what gives it its importance, or what its possession communicates to others? 

These items are usually seen as status symbols, or as displays of conspicuous consumption. As some people like to declare that they have more and better things than their peers. It also declares that they have the means to enjoy and engage in this type of consumption.

This usually turns out to be peer group oriented, for as we all know, there are many higher income groups than our own. No matter how high you can get, there will always those above you. Conspicuous consumption is on full display in the media, internet, and social media. We are all exposed to it, unfortunately, some folks get wrapped up in an "envy economy" where everything they do turns out to be a desperate attempt in their quest to "Live Large."

As a young person we usually have more unrealistic, unfettered expectations for the future. This is as it should be, why put limits of your hopes of achievement? That is the time in your life to dream big. 

As maturity sets in, it usually makes us more realistic about our possibilities, and we know that we can and will, only achieve so much. The goal is to become comfortable, and to appreciate the good things that we have in our lives. 

It's all about striking a balance, as each possession of ours exacts a price, and exerts a pressure on us. It is possible to get buried in "stuff." That situation can reduce or eliminate all of the enjoyment.

There is the concept of intrinsic versus extrinsic value, though it is usually not an either/or dichotomy. It's like a continuum, but both qualities can be found in most things.

Cars are intrinsically important to me and to other car guys. Maybe not so much to regular people, except as a transportation device. Being able to afford newer, worry free transportation is a real practical achievement. It does make life simpler, and allows for more spontaneity in travel plans. 

Being able to choose between more expensive models that make their use more pleasant is also nice. At one time, items like power steering and brakes, automatic transmission, a/c, and a powerful motor were reserved for the high priced marques. 

Now most of these items are available on almost every car, and standard on many, if not most. 

Currently, I am just not in the car loving state of mind. In fact, I'm sort of at the lowest point of automotive interest that I've ever been at.  I sure don't feel like going to a car show, or a Cars and Coffee get together. I don't feel like reading car magazines. I don't have very much interest in looking at new cars either.

But the funny thing is that I still enjoy driving my cars, it doesn't matter if it's one the Mustangs, the Flex or even the truck. On the numerous drives home from Sacramento, I really enjoyed driving both of my Mustangs. They are both fun cars to drive, they sound just right and they have a cozy, compact feeling. 

On my drives I passed a lot of cars. and I also got passed by a bunch. But I didn't feel like I wished that I was driving one of those other cars. It probably sounds somewhat disingenuous, but I really don't envy anyone else's car. Mercedes, BMW, Audi, Jaguar, no thanks. Chargers , Challengers, Camaros, whatever. I know that there are a lot of cars that are much quicker than mine, most are nowadays. But it really doesn't matter to me, I'm not going to be racing anyone.  My old Mustangs will easily cruise at 100 mph. if I want to, I've driven on a lot of trips where I maintained an 85 mph. average. They go around corners pretty good, maybe not like a Porsche, but plenty good enough. Even my '96. Yeah, there's absolutely no prestige in driving or owning it, but who would I be trying to impress? There isn't a lot of ego tied up with it, but that doesn't mean that I don't value it, because I do. 

I wanted my '06 long before I bought my '96, even before I bought the '07 back when it was brand new. This retro style impressed me when it was announced, and it still does. While my favorite vintage Mustang is the '70 Mach One, I don't have any real desire to buy one. I know that I am much happier with the '06. I revisited vintage Mustangs with my '70 coupe, not that long ago, and I discovered that these older cars left a lot to be desired. 

My interest in owning a truly vintage car is steadily decreasing over time. I've had a pretty good selection over the years, but don't think that I'll be repeating that process.  I think that my focus will definitely be on cars of the new Millennium. Truthfully, any car from the early 2000's is already going to be around twenty years old. That's kind of "Vintage Lite," but at least the cars should still be in reasonably good shape. These are the cars that can cleaned up, detailed, and lightly restored to a good appearance. The prices are also much lower than all those used up older cars.

That's the kind of "stuff" that still looks like fun to me!

I'm sort of surprised that the Holiday season has snuck up on me. This last month has been quite busy for me, and my Wife has started up her crafting business again. I help her in different ways and that takes a bit of my time. Then there's the house. Sometimes I will put off household chores but I have to find time to fit them in. I wanted to reseed my front lawn before the rainy season started. I was hoping to let Nature irrigate the yard and I finished up a few days ago. We just got a heavy rain storm today.  I have been very busy around the house, but I still find time to play with my cars. My vehicle line up has changed and it's a bit leaner. I've hinted at some of the changes in my stable. 

As 2022 comes to close, I am also quite aware that I will be starting my 10th. year producing this blog. That is a pretty long time, and I have consistently made it a priority to make new postings every week. Producing this blog is a major part of my automotive hobby, as well as a very enjoyable activity. It's a weekly writing assignment that helps me develop my writing skills and lets me share my experiences and insights with anyone that cares to follow it. I'm obviously no expert, and not a Jay Leno type of enthusiast, I'm just a regular guy trying to enjoy being a car enthusiast, on my terms.

So I thank everyone who takes the five minutes to read my postings and hope that I can continue to provide a little bit entertainment and humor in the following year.