Like most of the other responders, I too am in the 55+ crowd, and have noticed the same “after effects” of crawling around under a car as others in my age bracket, and even some younger guys have mentioned in this thread, about the aches and/or pains, that we never felt in our yout. Surely in a lot of cases, it’s not only the ability to work on our cars without becoming sore, as it is in how the routines in our daily lives dictate when we have time to work on them.
Without knowing what my mobility in the next maybe 10, 20 or 30 years will be, I hope I am still capable of, and having the same interests, in these old cars as I do now. Knowing I can’t do too much about the aging factor, I’ve been trying to gain that edge by staying healthy through diet and exercise, hoping it may prolong the inevitable. This may not be the answer or advice for everyone, but after losing 25 lbs., quitting smoking and cutting back on the alcohol over the last year, upon my recent annual check-up, my PCP seemed relatively glad that I took his advice last year by changing some habits, that were causing high cholesterol, breathing issues and high glucose counts, bordering on pre-diabetic. So it’s not true when it is said, “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks”.
But, when the day arrives that I can’t tackle a job or two, or to help a friend out with their project, fretting about all the pain I would be in if doing so, or putting off a job because my body is telling me “NO”, I know the one thing for sure I’ll be comfortable telling myself in the future, is that it’s time to start getting rid of the cars I’ve had over the years, and to sell them off so someone else can enjoy them.
Some members have reached that point already, and I cannot find any fault in their decisions to thin their herd, (some of you guys have some pretty freakin’ big herds) be it for the difficulty of working on them, loss of interest, or other life priorities. We each have our own reasons.
What you may already know is that you have had a lifetime with your cars, whether it had been the enjoyment of driving them, buying/selling them, or while working on them, even when that 5/8 wrench gets thrown across the garage in a moment of frustration, but eventually reaching that level of satisfaction that put a smile on your face, is what it’s all about. We’ve all been there at some point. The C’s have been a big part of your life, from what I’ve seen on your posts here on FCBO.
@patrick66, if and when you get rid of your cars, for whatever the reason it may be, I hope you get every dollar you have valued them at. Expect some seller’s remorse. But life goes on.
And on a side note, I’m not surprised there are others in this thread that have given it a thought once or twice about similar thoughts you mentioned in the OP, even me. At least you know you’re not alone with that mindset.
It is so rotten now, my parts cars which would have provided tons of good sheetmetal as well as the subframe are long gone, and I'm not interested in starting another huge multi-year restoration project.
