Disclaimer, this is not a long winded for sale add. I write this as I'm cleaning and preparing for sale one of my most treasured items, my 33 tub. This old girl has been a faithful servant, introducing my kids to the joys of early motoring, with all its pitfalls, it's served as the jalopy journal staff car and provided hours of fun. We look at survivors or at least I do as time capsules from a past era, a time I hope to visit in my next life, and those lucky enough to own one have a responsibility of caretaker, a warden of the past. I have mixed feelings about moving this along, as I clean the dust from her weathered paint, the last couple of years she has served as extra storage in a crammed workshop, sitting neglected and unloved while new builds take place and family errands call, she waits for attention that never comes. One door closes and another opens, the chance to purchase a bucket list car, it dulls the pain for now though I know agony will reappear when she leaves my driveway for the last time. Are cars merely things or do they become part of your dna, part of your soul, I guess I'll find out. So what' the post about, we'll do you guys have regret, felt the pain of selling, felt remorse. Share your stories and with any luck I'll feel better about this wretched decision.
I like to think I understand........though I believe your attachment may be deeper....and certainly justified. Ray
Last car I sold was one I'd had for 23 years, in my mind it is still out in the garage. It was the right time to sell it, no regrets, there are other cars now. Bob
There comes a time when we have to do things that may not have been imagined in the good old days back when. It sounds as if you have some other things to pacify the loss. The other thing that may make the transition easier is if the person purchasing shares your vision of what you liked about the car. There is however no guarantees but you'll know. You perhaps may even be a little selective...you are in control. I often wonder what happened to my many gems I passed on to others. It is however a part of the game. I remember this fellow I bought my Harley from told me I was takin his left nut...he was quite the character. I'll never forget him takin it out for a last blast up and down the road after getting it running with a new battery and some gas after sitting for years...in an old garage. Good luck on your parting and future car endeavors.
A very Emotional post....... This is much more to you than just a Car. All the very best to you, and the new Caretaker.
thom We know this is a emotional parting but please share a couple more pics with us. It looks awesome... The memories for us will be here for well a long time. You guys build lottsa good stuff down under. Cheers
Making the decision to part with a car ,especially one that has become a part of the family is tough. I loved my old Deuce 4 door and owned it for many years,it was one of the nicest and most dependable cars I have ever owned,the flathead ran like a champ and the car saw thousands of trouble free miles,like all cars there was a hick up every now and then but the old sedan never failed to get us back home. Like you,time moved on an the old sedan wasn't driven quiet as much,my kids were grown and married and I had the roadster and the pickup,then of the out blue my old Deuce tudor that I built and sold 20 years ago was offered back to me because my old friend Roger had passed away. Not having the cash to buy that old sedan back but wanting to own it again,I made the decision to sell my 4 door,I sold it here on the Hamb incredibly fast. Do I regret selling the 4 door? yes and no. I wouldn't have my old beater back and it's not a nice finished car but it is and was my dream car and sometimes we gave to sell to a prized possession to chase that dream. HRP
Understand your feeling. Very hard to let go of something you have had so long. I sold my 57 FI Bel Air last year after having it 38 yrs-it was very difficult but it was time. It went to a great caretaker.
wish I still had most all of my old rides that I have sold. but, needed the $ at the time for the next one. plus, no place to have kept them under a roof with good dry storage. plus, maintenance & insurance. oh well, things change and gotta move on.
I understand completely. Your post strikes a chord with me because I'm struggling with something similar myself. I have a truck that belonged to my father. It has been in my family for over 52 years and belonged to a neighbor before that. I don't remember a time when it was not part of my life. I'm feeling guilty because it is sitting in my garage, somewhat neglected. I'm thinking about letting it go but I look at it and I remember things. Moments in time play like flashback scenes in a movie. The trouble is I have no one to pass it down to, so what is the point in keeping it? Still, if I let it go, I'm afraid I will have regrets, even though it would be the logical and practical thing to do. Like you, there are bucket list cars waiting. More than once I have watched with a tear in my eye as a car leaves my driveway for the last time and drives out of my life forever. They are indeed time capsules and snapshots of, not only our own lives, but those who have owned it before. No, that's not quite right. They are more than just snapshots. It's more like they carry a piece of ourselves. It might sound silly but I get a sense that old cars and old houses soak up things. I can look at an old car and wonder where it was at any given moment in history; where was this car on December 7, 1941? On VJ Day? On November 22, 1963? Who owned it then? It feels like this is all in there, somehow encoded in a strange sort of automotive DNA, if I could only get to it. In an old car, especially a "survivor", the barriers that keep us separated from another time seem very thin. I can experience the same feel, the sounds, the smells. They permeate the barrier like messages from the other side and it feels like I could almost bust through and spontaneously find myself in 1946 or 1957, etc. It's the closest we can get to time travel, I think. I have spent a good part of my life chasing this experience. Sounds almost delusional, doesn't it? Sorry, I digressed a little there. Being a caretaker can be a burden. Life would be so much easier if I weren't such a sentimental bastard. BTW, that is a beautiful car, my friend.
Yeah, keep it for awhile longer if you have ANY second thoughts about letting it go. I can't imagine what could possibly replace it, but the decision is yours. Just be sure you're 100% before leaving her for another Woman. Long time cars with lots of great family memories really can be a member of the family. Be sure the kids have some input on the decision. They may want it when they're older.
Ditto what Hot Rods to Hell just said. Especially the family factor. Be 100% sure. I sold my Model A Tudor last year and while I was making the deal it seemed like the right thing to do. I got an old gasser and a handful of cash. Now, I realize it was a mistake. As strange as it sounds, I feel kinda "lost" without an old Ford hot rod to drive. I have other nice hot rods but there's nothing like an old Ford. Clean her up and take her out for a drive, it will help you make the right decision. Good luck.
I've actually passed on pursuing two nifty cars in the last couple of years because the then owner and or his cronies would have a shit fit and fall in it if I ever changed anything or just restored it to what it should be. If you worry that someone won't keep the bent up fender and pealing paint you had never sell it as if I had the funds to buy it it would go straight to the body shop without passing go to be put back in pristine condition. I might not change anything from what should be there but the car deserves to have a straight body and decent paint.
I will NEVER sell my 36 ford pickup, it was an original Bellingham Washington airport fire truck, I built the chassis and box, had a friend rebuild some wiped out pickup fenders, I've driven the hell out of it everywhere. When you see the truck, you see me, twenty years of me, known to all my aquaintances, seen at a car show, they look for me. Some cars are like that, they have their owners footprint all over them, never to be changed enough for some to recognise who built it. When I die, my daughter gets it, if I sold it, I'd die prematurely, she'd see to it.
I have not had a completed hot rod yet, but have had and sold a vertex mag and Weber IDA downdraft vintage carb/intake for 392 to help buy other parts, I am glad to further the project. I still have a feeling of remorse that I probably will not have a chance to own speed parts like them again. Sent from my XT1254 using H.A.M.B. mobile app
I should say, the reason I won't sell my 36 is because I sold my T bucket to finance the 36, I literally cried when it drove off, been trying to get it back ever since.
I feel your pain. Every car or pickup that I buy, is one that I swear to myself that I will be buried in it. It never works out for me, as I don't see any of them around here. Good luck with your new purchase, it will all work out for the best.
Out of all my cars I have had I miss my 64 ford woodie station wagon I had .She had no rust at all Being a T.N. car BUT you gotta move on.Bruce
Thom, I can relate to the situation but not what you're going through. I would be hard pressed to want to make that decision because outside of our circle they don't get it. I understand your delemia and can only hope there are no second thoughts or regerts. Good luck brother.
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