Plymouthy Adams Posted August 25, 2009 Report Share Posted August 25, 2009 Okay..so you got your car, you have towed it home and now you just cannot wait to get it running to get the "full experience" of ownership..well I have news for you, there is no real need to wait....just follow the advice below.. Next big rainstorm, wait till dark, get in the family car, roll down all windows, leave off lights & heater & wipers and go for a drive. Stop at every intersection and throw out a twenty dollar bill. It's not exactly the same, but it's real close. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpt.Fred Posted August 25, 2009 Report Share Posted August 25, 2009 good one hihi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Flanagan Posted August 25, 2009 Report Share Posted August 25, 2009 Tim, that is really perverse. What are you trying to do? That almost scares ME away. Pretty funny though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homebrewer Posted August 25, 2009 Report Share Posted August 25, 2009 And they say that a boat is only a hole in the water that you throw money into. I guess not. If we had only known this ahead of time. LOL George Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimainnj Posted August 25, 2009 Report Share Posted August 25, 2009 Tim right on, fortunitly I got back all but a few of those $20 on the last 3, Hope it works out for the 47 soon, till i start again. You'd think car guy's would learn. Jim ps any one throwing out on a rain night give a call. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Neon Posted August 25, 2009 Report Share Posted August 25, 2009 I had a friend that likened old cars to drug and alcohol addiction. Having grown up in this hobby, I can't really disagree. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Fleming Posted August 25, 2009 Report Share Posted August 25, 2009 you guys get away cheap just think if you were like me a canadaian you would be throwing out 29 dollars then the groverment taxs that lol tim your just about nailed it on the head. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatS.... Posted August 25, 2009 Report Share Posted August 25, 2009 Tim, that was good! I compare it too an addiction that costs big bucks. The only difference is that an old car is still there and worth at least something after the hangover is gone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plymouthy Adams Posted August 25, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 25, 2009 yeah Pat..the big pink elephant that does not go away come morning..a guy at work chides me about the old cars...of course his four fingers pointing back does not even recall the large high definition TV, the blue rays players, HD CD paler etc etc, upgrading his some 500 movies on CD to blue ray as they come out and the 15 speaker surround sound..I calmly said his toys were as expensive as mine only that they suit him not me and vice versa.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kustom52Mopar Posted August 26, 2009 Report Share Posted August 26, 2009 Well I've gotta toss my hard earned money somewhere, well the rest that the government doesn't take, and I'll enjoy the ride along the way. But that is really good anology. I might share that with some fellow car nuts who'll get a kick out of that. I'll send you the royalties Tim. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harvey Tank Posted August 26, 2009 Report Share Posted August 26, 2009 you sure don't make any money when you sell your car, the guy thats makes a profit is the one that sells it next, after you dumped all your monet in it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plymouthy Adams Posted August 26, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 26, 2009 I'll keep my Monet on the wall..lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Flanagan Posted August 26, 2009 Report Share Posted August 26, 2009 I think the joy of working on these old cars and bringing them back to life is worth all the difficulty. Like someone said, you have to throw your money somewhere. Life is short, too. When I decided I was going to get an old car and try to rebuild it, I knew I'd found something I love to do. I collect all my receipts but I never look at them. Maybe one day I'll total them up. But for me, this hobby is priceless. Once I told my brother that I had acquired an old Plymouth and that I was going to rebuild it. His response was, "So, what are you going to have when you're finished? An old car?" I run into this from time to time. Some people just don't get it, which is fine. I don't get people who are really into software and computers, etc., etc. I had a neighbor--who has maybe picked up a wrench twice in his life--tell me, "That's a big black hole." Well, maybe to him it would be. He was probably thinking about investment and return and I don't think we measure those things the same way in this hobby. For the money I've spent I've gotten more joy and excitement and satisfaction than I can tell you. I could be spending my money on much, much worse things. Now, my attitude may be completely different later this summer, when I'm trying to figure out why my paint gun is spitting paint and it's 98 degrees and I have sweat dripping into my brand new paint job and I don't have anywhere near as much room as I need and I've exhausted every swear word I know, but overcoming those things is part of the reward. I've chucked more wrenches, busted more knuckles, and screwed up more jobs than I can count but I never fall out of love with the hobby. The worst was when I was doing my rockers. I actually had to force myself to go out there and work on them. I just had to keep thinking of what lay ahead. I could never get my money back by selling the thing, but I also couldn't put a price on it. It's worth too much in ways that don't involve money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Yergin Posted August 26, 2009 Report Share Posted August 26, 2009 Joe, Very well put. Jim Yergin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DLK Posted August 26, 2009 Report Share Posted August 26, 2009 Joe has it right. If I put $10K on a trip to Europe I can't get that money back but what an experience. If I keep my 50 Dodge for 5 years or more and enjoy it and lose $5K (quite possible with the money I sink into it over that time) it has been worth every dollar if I drive it and don't just leave it hiding under a cover in my garage. I am still working on getting my wife to see this logic... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dennis_MN Posted August 26, 2009 Report Share Posted August 26, 2009 First of all, Cars cost money. My first project was a '31 model A ford coupe, a basket case. We brought it home in three pickup loads, and after the second trip, my wife hollered out the window..."You paid $150 for What!" this was in 1969. I told her that it was worth every penny. It took two years of work and I was JC Whitneys best customer. I piled the reciepts into a folder for every part I bought including the auction sales and the farm yards. After 7 years I wanted something else, say a 57 Thunderbird but that was way out of my price range. So I settled for a 70 Dodge Challenger Convertible for $1800. My wife said these things are not stamps, get rid of that Model A if you don't want it. So I sold the Ford for $2800. I told her I made a profit on it and she said, did you add up all of those reciepts? Nope. So I restored that 70 Dodge, did the paint, a new top, the body work and we enjoyed it for seven years. Kids even drove it during their high school years. (Now my middle son just aches for a 2009 Challenger) Sold it for $2500, made another profit, and wanted to build a pickup. Made one mistake, I added it up what it would cost for a pickup and instead I bought a new Ranger. Now 20 years later I found a 48 Dodge Pickup all restored except for a few details and the price of poker has gone up. But I'm now 70 years old and I have had the pleasure of working on cars, learning how to weld, paint, and fix and more importantly, I have three sons who have the same skills and the same limited resources. Life is good, spend the money Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homebrewer Posted August 26, 2009 Report Share Posted August 26, 2009 An old saying among Harley riders is " If I have to explain it to you, you wouldn't understand." I Think Joes reply pretty much reflects that opinion. This is why it is called a hobby and not a business. Hobbies are enjoyable, business is WORK. My wife doesn't get this hobby either, but she doesn't bug me about what I do to the car as long as I don 't bitch about the hairdresser, manicurist, toenails etc. etc. etc. If it has T--s or wheels, its gonna cost ya. LOL George Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Neon Posted August 27, 2009 Report Share Posted August 27, 2009 My dad has "old car math." Determine how much you have for a transportation budget if you purchased a new car every five years. Drive a used car. Money that would have otherwise been spent on a new car can then be shuttled into collector vehicles. Used Neons are great for this exercise. Instead of paying $15K for a new Caliber, buy a used Neon for $5K and drive it for 10-15 years, or even longer. On year 5, there's $15K more for old cars. Year 10, there's $15K more for old cars. Money recouped upon selling an old car also can be spent in Old Car Math either to buy another car or to do something with one that you already have. Great system! Dad drove a $500 bondo-riffic '62 Falcon to work for about 10 years. It "bought" lots of cars for my dad. He said that it was the best car he ever had because he could drive old cars year 'round without feeling guilty about ruining a nice old car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael.warshaw Posted August 28, 2009 Report Share Posted August 28, 2009 dont get the 20 dollar part? i dont get the lights wiper part, i have wipers and decent headlights? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Neon Posted August 28, 2009 Report Share Posted August 28, 2009 When either of them stop working suddenly, you will understand. I change the fuse in my headlight switch every spring just as a precaution. Had wipers that worked one day and the next time I needed wipers they didn't work. I use Rain-X on all of my vehicles, not just the P15. Had my wiper motor rebuilt this winter, and now my wipers work better than they ever did in the 23 years my family's owned the car. My dad loves my impression of vacuum wipers. LOL Only some one familiar with vacuum motor wipers can truly appreciate it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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