At what point does one say "screw it!" with cars?

[patrick66]

I've mulled over getting rid of all of my old cars, except one, for awhile. Getting old sucks, and since 85% of us on this forum are over 55, you all know that. I don't have a lift, so getting under a car is downright painful. It hurts. A lot. Just kneeling down to clean a car hurts. This **** just ain't physically fun for me these days.

Case in point: My brake booster on the Imperial went tits-up in October. Haven't pulled it yet to get rebuilt. My motivation is zero, concerning the Imperial. I haven't touched the Hudson since early November. My Corvette needs a fuel pump, which is just a 45-minute job...don't even have to pull the tank! It sits, too.

My sons are pretty ambivalent about old cars in general. My younger wants the Coronet when the day comes where I achieve room temperature (years from now, I hope!), but he doesn't help on the old cars. He does do his own work on his truck, thankfully. My older son has his Buick, but he is the same way about working on it.

Point is, the thrill is gone with the cars. I'm planning our club's show and cruise for June 8th. And I'm not excited about that, either.

That free Chrysler on the For Sale thread? Five years ago, I'd have had my trailer hooked up and been on the road Saturday morning for it! And I thought about it, but declined it, even though it was just 7-1/2 hours away.

Ok...rant over. Just gettin' **** said. Have a fine day.

 

[GJS]

I'm 41 and feel this way ... granted, the 3 years of misdiagnosed type 1 diabetes has me feeling about 25 years older than that ... I got my car with high hopes of moving on it the way I did my 68. It has not turned out that way (putting it mildly). She's sitting in the garage with about 2 grand in suspension parts and I highly doubt I'll be interested in crawling under there come spring to put it all together.

I've actually considered getting it all put in and selling quite a few times this year.

 

[odcics2]

Appears you have found out that there are only so many minutes in a day and you are spending them doing other stuff, not car related. Burnt out maybe?
I know a few guys that have been thinning their collections down.
Sounds like you are getting there.
It's supposed to be a fun "hobby", not a job. If it feels like work, something's wrong!

 

[patrick66]

I bought my first car when I was 12 years old, paid ten bucks for it and I drove it home. Nearly 800 vehicles later...I am serious considering selling all but one, and keeping our two daily drivers.

 

[DocMcNeedy]

I guess I've been lucky...dont feel burnt out yet...
not looking forward to that day.

 

[azblackhemi]

I can relate Patrick. I always thought that when I retired I'd spend my "golden years" working on my old cars. Well that's not happening. The desire just isn't there. Of course in my case the last 10 years I've been doing restorations for other people to make a living. Doing it full time as a business has ruined the hobby for me. I still spend too much time on the internet looking at cars and even lusting over them. Luckily reality sets in before I go out and buy. I'm now considering selling my 66 NY'er, 48 Desoto and 70 300 vert and buying one nice done classic car. But after buying a brand new Durango last week and being very impressed by modern technology maybe I'll go out and but a new performance car.

 

[commando1]

I'll be 70 soon and I'm not half the person I was when I retired at 55. I hurt and I hurt badly. At 55 I could kick the crap out of a Marine.
That said, I look at my present, and what I know to be my last, car. It's finished but gawd forbid if anything should go wrong with it. Other circumstances have me sticking close to home so I don't drive it and it just sits in the garage kept alive on the trickle charger. It galls me to see it just sit there. There's no market for it, at least at a price where I'd rather put my balls in a vise than give it away for peanuts. I won't do it. I wish I could sell it. I truly do.
Age. It's all about age. And health. F*** the money and the possessions.
I still like all things cars but I'd be happier as an observer. Besides, I'm disgusted with what I see happening out there now. GM building electric skateboards? WTF...

 

[BLUPORT]

I'm not even 40 yet, and have no feeling in half of either of my hands. Have a hard time getting under any car, can't kneel for extended periods (thanks to getting hit by a Ford F-250 while riding a bicycle) and on top of that, working 50 hours a week, having 3 kids at home, and other hobbies, finding time during cooperative weather makes it even tougher... I quite frequently consider saying "screw it" with a lot of it.

Hell, I've thought about selling my Newport 3 times this morning, and that's just because I still haven't gotten a shipping update on my throttle/transmission pressure return spring yet.

 

[Fratzog]

Having just retired and turned 64 I can relate even though I only have 2 old cars. Frankly a big part of my difficulty is being out of shape rather than any physical disability. I was in my mid 40's when putting the Polara my first old car on the road. Back then my enthusiasm had no bounds. Did most of the work myself learning as I went. Then came the Fargo and did a repeat performance with the restoration except I farmed out the paint. Sadly the truck is gone traded for the Monaco which was a tired restoration when I got it. I've maintained them both as "nice drivers" but most of the maintenance work except oil changes now gets done at a decent local shop. I will likely hang on to them for a while even if my enthusiasm has subsided to a simple fondness for driving them locally.

 

[commando1]

C-bodies... Old (hurting) men in hats.... Plummeting values...
starting to make sense, now.

 

[BLUPORT]

C-bodies... Old (hurting) men in hats.... Plummeting values...
starting to make sense, now.

Your value isn't plummeting that much, give yourself some credit.

 

[BIGBARNEYCARS]

There waz one guy on here ah week or two back that admitted to being 83 and still going strong somewhere up in Alaska if 'member rite. Makez me just ah kid closing in on 80 come Memorial Day weekend this year. For several yearz now I've tried to keep the attitude that i'll stay at it az long az I don't need ah Cherry Picker(with ah remote) to get my *** off the floor. Iz Advil my friend? You betcha. Can I get thru' ah day without it? I don't know but why would I want to try? That tail ender that got me jammed up 2 months ago will be over $6K to repair to my Mini and could I do the fix? Hell yes but why would I. My Son-in-law borrowed My "DOG BONE Creeper 'bout 4th of July. I went over and got it back over New Yearz, and ah couple weekz after that he came over and borrowed it back again. Over the last 6-8 yearz I've graduated from ah piece of Card Board to that cute little "Sleeper Creeper" and I've earned it. Jes gotta make him understand that It'z MINE 'til I'm lookin' at the brown side of the sod, ARHG ARGH ARGH, Jer

 

[Newport 66]

To counterpoint some of the comments (which I agree with BTW) is the drive and desire to do something more than sit and wait to die. I don't care to travel much, I'm not into shuffleboard or golf or bridge and I've worked with my hands and brain for the most of my life. I got outta cars when I started having kids with the exception of helping my son and teaching him abt the hobby. We built his Coronet race car and another Coronet for a driver for him. Now retired the fires have been stoked to do another car or three for myself. Not frame up resto's, but start with drivers and make improvements and have fun. Yes, my body tells me I'm not getting younger but dammit the willing desire to have fun and maybe recapture some past youth is strong. The want to ride a motorcycle is fading fast, not because of me but safety concerns and idiot drivers. If they find me dead in the shop, I'll have a wrench in my hand, a greasy smile on my face and rock 'n roll on the radio!!!!!

 

[TxDon]

Well this is pretty depressing on the busiest car related forum I subscribe to. Not minimizing anyone's situation, but the car hobby is like any other personal life decision - a matter of priorities. I am 70 and have had my share of family and health challenges. There is no doubt that I can't physically do some car related things today that I used to handle without a second thought. But my cars and activities surrounding them remain a top priority in my life so I continue to adapt - I work out regularly to stay in shape, I break up my car projects into smaller stages and take longer to complete them, and some heavy projects need to be farmed out. I also spend a lot of time online with car related stuff including an Ebay business selling prewar Automobilia. Everyone has to make their own decision, if cars no longer give you any pleasure then get out completely. I can tell you in my case that will not be happening anytime soon.

 

[BLUPORT]

I just thought I'd add, I've had some... "concerning" medical issues lately, and so far, all signs point to bad news. I haven't had the testing done that I need (mainly because the tests cost so damn much, but I digress...) but I'm kinda preparing myself for it now. When I finally get around to it, if my fears are confirmed, my Newport will be the first thing I list for sale.

 

[FURYGT]

I've mulled over getting rid of all of my old cars, except one, for awhile. Getting old sucks, and since 85% of us on this forum are over 55, you all know that. I don't have a lift, so getting under a car is downright painful. It hurts. A lot. Just kneeling down to clean a car hurts. This **** just ain't physically fun for me these days.

Case in point: My brake booster on the Imperial went tits-up in October. Haven't pulled it yet to get rebuilt. My motivation is zero, concerning the Imperial. I haven't touched the Hudson since early November. My Corvette needs a fuel pump, which is just a 45-minute job...don't even have to pull the tank! It sits, too.

My sons are pretty ambivalent about old cars in general. My younger wants the Coronet when the day comes where I achieve room temperature (years from now, I hope!), but he doesn't help on the old cars. He does do his own work on his truck, thankfully. My older son has his Buick, but he is the same way about working on it.

Point is, the thrill is gone with the cars. I'm planning our club's show and cruise for June 8th. And I'm not excited about that, either.

That free Chrysler on the For Sale thread? Five years ago, I'd have had my trailer hooked up and been on the road Saturday morning for it! And I thought about it, but declined it, even though it was just 7-1/2 hours away.

Ok...rant over. Just gettin' **** said. Have a fine day.

No problem with the rant. I understand all to well and I have a lift. I fall into that over 55 category. I still love driving my C Body's but no longer enjoy working on them and am limited to working on them with a very bad low back, diabetic nerve damage in one of my feet and a hole host of other issues. I've decided that I am going to thin my fleet (already sold two in the past 2 years) down to 4 - 6, which means selling at least 3 of them. I am also going to move south so I can enjoy my C's more than 6 months of the year and I started paying people to the work on my cars that I am no longer physically up to doing or desire to do.

My son has a wife and 2 kids and is in the National Guard in addition to a full-time job so while he likes some of my cars he doesn't have the time to help me with them.

Find a good local mechanic or someone in the local MOPAR crowd that likes to earn some money on the side and have them fix that Imperial. I'd bet that once it was fixed and you got behind the wheel a few times the enjoyment level would be back where it was. It's just time to rearrange some priorities and acknowledge that there are some things that you can't or don't want to anymore. Just one old fart's thoughts who is in a somewhat similar position.

 

[rkrochen]

I guess the time will come to all of us. However at 64 I am not about to give up yet. Yes it is harder to do but once you are retired there are no time limits and we can do everything at a slower pace. The hobby gets me out of the house and active which I believe helps keep you going. I am lucky that my kids and grandkids love these cars. My wife pretends she doesn’t but loves riding in the convertible all of which helps me keep my interest up. I truly hope that you can find ways to keep pursuing this hobby.

 

[BLUPORT]

If my garage were big enough to fit a lift.... or Bulport for that matter... it would be a different story for me. I can do so much more when it's at shoulder-height.

 

[Welder guy]

There waz one guy on here ah week or two back that admitted to being 83 and still going strong somewhere up in Alaska if 'member rite. Makez me just ah kid closing in on 80 come Memorial Day weekend this year. For several yearz now I've tried to keep the attitude that i'll stay at it az long az I don't need ah Cherry Picker(with ah remote) to get my *** off the floor. Iz Advil my friend? You betcha. Can I get thru' ah day without it? I don't know but why would I want to try? That tail ender that got me jammed up 2 months ago will be over $6K to repair to my Mini and could I do the fix? Hell yes but why would I. My Son-in-law borrowed My "DOG BONE Creeper 'bout 4th of July. I went over and got it back over New Yearz, and ah couple weekz after that he came over and borrowed it back again. Over the last 6-8 yearz I've graduated from ah piece of Card Board to that cute little "Sleeper Creeper" and I've earned it. Jes gotta make him understand that It'z MINE 'til I'm lookin' at the brown side of the sod, ARHG ARGH ARGH, Jer

At 53 I’m just a kid compared to some but I can’t be on my knees for any length of time due to badly Breaking my left leg 8 years ago. So I bought a 4 post lift and I haven’t looked back, it’s been the best tool I’ve ever owned. No more kneeling or sitting on concrete and gravel. I’m down to 1 car now , not including my parts cars but that’s another story. The lift has allowed me to enjoy my old car for a few more years.

 

[Big_John]

A few years ago, I decided that I don't have a project car in me anymore, so I stopped dreaming.

My Chrysler is pretty much all sorted out, so most of what I do is PM with some puttering on the side. The Barracuda was almost an impulse buy, but it wasn't a project, although it did need a little more than I had originally thought. That one is pretty much PM and puttering on details now...

But, the thought always occurs to me that I'm one car too many. Even two cars too many at times.

I can't do near as much as I used to. Yep, the pain gets me down too. The literal pain in the neck is a virtual pain in the neck too. I've farmed out work that I would never dream of before. I often think about if I want to keep messing around with the cars... Having only 6-7 months of good driving time makes it harder too.

Still... I look at some of the cars that are for sale and dream... If a nice 300L came up for the right price, in the right condition, and in the right side of the US, it would be hard to pass up. Something would have to go once it came home and that might be tough.

 

[mr. fix it]

If it makes you feel better Patrick time away from a hobby or passion is not uncommon.
Taking a break will either rekindle the fire or it will go out altogether at which time you can start thinning the herd.

We all have to face this at one point in our lives

I’m a sucker for rescuing motorized machines be it motorcycles or cars

I’m currently in the can’t do a darned thing other than drive mode with hopes of feeling better and being able to work on something mode.


I understand the lack of ambition to tackle the upkeep on the old cars.
There comes a time in our lives that we have to make the decision to walk away or seek the assistance of someone that knows the cars and will help us in our aging years to maintain the car so we can continue to simply enjoy a nice drive

I wish you the best in the decision you make
I’ve enjoyed watching your threads here