Sad but true

[RobertKB]

An old fellow I knew in our car club died about a year ago after a lengthy illness. He owned four old Mopars at the time of his death -1938 Plymouth, 1940 Dodge, 1941 Plymouth Business Coupe, and a 1951 Desoto. He had no children and I was never sure what would happen to his stuff. Cars were left to a friend but his property and all his car parts were left to a nephew. I talked to the nephew at the funeral and gave him my card with phone number and address as he wanted to know what to do with all the old stuff left behind. Finally heard through the grapevine on Tuesday that if anyone was interested in the parts to contact his nephew and arrange an appointment and was given a phone number. Phoned right away only to be told the garage had been cleaned out a few days before and everything was taken to the local salvage yard. He had all kinds of NOS stuff, spare running engines, transmissions including a good fluid drive, steering parts, and the list goes on. His nephew said they got scrap iron price for it all. I asked why he hadn't phoned as I would have loved the stuff and paid more than scrap for it and he said he had lost my card. Damn, I wish I had got his number at the funeral and phoned earlier. It would have been nice to slowly sell the stuff off on ebay or locally and use the money for the antique car club I belong to. I know he would have liked that. Now it is gone forever. Moral of the story, get rid of your valuable stuff before it's too late. I know I will make sure, unless something unexpected happens to me, that all my "stuff" goes to a good home before it's too late. I now understand these collectors who have a big auction to get rid of their cars and parts while they are still alive. Sorry for the long post but it rots my socks this happened.

[tragic59]

It's a shame he didn't leave all the car parts to the same guy he left the cars to. He'd have known what to do with them...

[PatS....]

That's truly a sad story. I wonder how much more of our old stuff will be tossed when we're gone by heirs who have no idea what they have and have no interest in it.

I recently made up my will and I asked around what people thought of the old car project, and was surprised a bit at the response. "Well, if it makes you happy..."

I don't have kids, but I do have 8 nephews, 12 to 23. One is mildly curious, but wouldn't continue the project, just sell everything, as would the others.

So, that was what I was going to put in the will...that it all be sold and the proceeds be divided up.

That is until my neighbors kid was over in the garage last fall.

25 and a car nut big time. He has dropped by to shoot the breeze and has actually helped me with quite a few projects over the 5 or so years I've been there. He even said I was the reason he bought his 51 Chevy he has rodded.

So, I asked him the same question I asked my nephews.

"WOW", he said, "I would finish it just the way you said you were going to do it and drive it!"

I asked what he would do with the tools in my garage.

"I would keep them and use them, I love tools!"

He had no idea why I was asking because he knows 3 of my nephews and just assumed the stuff would go to them.

It's going to the neighbor kid, lock stock and barrel. All the woodworking tools, everything.

Funny how the nephews changed their tune when they found out there is some $30.000 bucks worth of crap involved.

Too late. I've made up my mind and it's in writing. There are also bills of sale in with the will just in case someone wants to challenge the will

I hope it's some time before he gets his mitts on the stuff, but I know he will appreciate it when the time comes.

I think if the stuff means something and what happens to it after you are done with it means something, you should make sure the right person is getting it for the right reasons.

[JIPJOBXX]

Well I have decided to give my Dodge to the LaMay Museum in my will. As I know it will be in good hands and will be put up on display for everyone who's interested in car history can see my peice of history. I probably could get allot of money for it but at my age money really doesn't mean that much to me but my old car does. I have had this car for almost 19 years and its really the only material thing I really feel part of. So it will go into history into a beautiful place for our future generations to see. Jon