Better Beaters - Building Cars and Daily Drivers

 I told my Wife that I might like to get a "real" old car.

Here's a '40 LaSalle, the price has been lowered to 10,000.00
Not free, but good.

Her response was pretty much what I anticipated.

Not to say that she is wrong.   

We had taken a weekend trip down to Monterey and as is my custom, I pointed out various cars that we saw on the drive down. With the usual running commentary. 

I'd see something like a new Corvette, talk a bit about it, and finish by saying, that I wouldn't want one.  

Then I'd see a late model Porsche, and say nice, but I don't have any desire to own one. The fact that I can't afford one doesn't and shouldn't even come up in my thinking. Dreaming about cars used to be about wanting them, not a serious financial planning session. I'm not getting into the weeds of finance etc. But you have to actually want a car before you start scheming on how to get one. After all, when we were kids we were crazy about almost every car that we'd see, and double crazy about something sporty or exotic! Of course, we couldn't afford any of them!

After this had gone on for a while, I kind of added that I'm just not excited by new cars.

Not that I won't buy something newer if I needed it, like we did with our Flex. 

Then I made the comment that now I know why a lot of old guys decide to buy a vintage classic instead. It used to be a trope that an old guy buys something that he wanted when he was younger, but couldn't afford, or live with at the time. 

Corvettes usually fall into this category. A young, or not so young man ( hey, it could also be a woman, but I'm speaking from my perspective!) falls in love with a Vette, but needs to spend his money on a kid's braces, a family vacation trip, a repair or upgrade that the house really needs, college expenses, or a minivan.  And if he should buy a Vette, how can he fit the three kids in one? So no Corvette, at least for now. After a while, he will stop even considering them. 

Corvettes and other sports cars fall into that impractical category. Other cars like the original muscle cars and personal luxury cars were specialty cars that could work in a family situation. Especially if it was a two car family. But other financial issues are still present, like cost, insurance and even fuel economy.

Time passes and family situations evolve and if a person is lucky, opportunities for specialty car ownership may occur.

Portrait of the author as a satisfied young man.

A lot of these thoughts have occurred to me since my Wife presented me with a box of old photographs. These weren't family pictures, these were pictures of my old cars and motorcycles. Also photos documenting my frequent road trips. I saw pictures of my first car, a '66 Mustang. And my first Cadillac, my beloved '64 convertible. I was pictured astride my high school motorcycles and standing alongside the cars that I owned after I graduated as a young adult. It's a bit of a shock to see what I looked like fifty years ago. I've always considered myself as having a problem with my weight, but looking back, I don't see a chubby little guy, I see a reasonably svelte young man. Just don't fast forward to my middle aged years!

Who cares about gas mileage
when you can drive something this awesome?

I see quite a diverse display of machinery, two wheeled and four. I noticed that they stopped being sensible and practical after I passed the Honda 305 and early Mustang phase. The motorcycles got bigger, I rode the Japanese Superbikes and Harley Davidson Sportsters and Big Twins. My choice in cars was always in the extra large category, none of those little penalty boxes for me. Give me Cadillacs, lots of Cadillacs!

This was my "gas saver."

I suppose that I was lucky in that my parents were cool with whatever I bought, and wherever I would go with them. My Dad made enough to comfortably support the family in our blue collar lifestyle. I never had to chip in for family expenses and was free to spend my money on my own interests. My Dad taught me how to work on my own machinery and that alone made ownership of my fleet realistic. My Mom believed that young men needed the freedom to roam and explore, so she never tried to curtail my need to travel.

Not to say that I didn't live up to my part. I stayed out of trouble, got along with my folks, worked full time, and did well in school. As long as I was working and attending junior college, they were satisfied. So I was fortunate. I know that a lot of people grow up in families with a lot of drama and turmoil. In that situation playing around with cars and bikes isn't easy to do. 

So I had a lot of fun as a young man. I've even managed to have a bit of fun as a family man, thanks to my Wife!

I've owned a lot of vintage cars when they were "vintage lite," twenty something years or so old. I never owned a real 30's -'40's Hot Rod or a Corvette of any year. I also rode motorcycles, mostly HDs for over 35 years. So it's not like I missed out!

I showed my Wife some pictures of the 1940 Cadillac LaSalle that I found on CL. I was somewhat surprised and relieved that she didn't hate the car, she thought it actually looked pretty neat. Of course this was a car in good shape that was still shiny and in good running condition. I didn't show her pictures of this very clean '55 T Bird, but she might have liked that also. 

My favorite model of little Bird, no fins or spare out back.

 If I bought a vintage car, what would I do with it? 

I would want to drive it, but how often? I can't see myself jumping in it for a late night run to pick up a pizza. However, some of my current cars are sort of "buried" and it takes some planning to make them available for use. 

Would I only use it to go to shows? Maybe, or probably, but not exclusively. I can't see that as too appealing. I could see myself driving it on weekend outings, as long as I stay away from crushing traffic. 

Am I being honest with myself? 

I've been pretty satisfied with my vintage light concept. These are older cars that I was interested in while they were new, but couldn't afford them. ( See, that is true!) They are comfortable to drive in modern traffic conditions. I just discovered that my Riviera has very good head lights, something very important, especially at my age.

These are cars that can actually be daily driven, and they are quite affordable. Many examples can be found in very good shape, not needing restoration. That is satisfying, and most importantly, fun. 

One thing that informs my thinking, is that I've already owned many old cars. Can I think of just one of my previous cars that I would like to own again? 

Thinking is cheaper than buying, and easier than selling.